The tailoring expertise evident in both Tyler's women's and men's collections comes from his mother who worked as a designer of ballet and theater costumes in Melbourne, Australia, where he was raised. "I was brought up on 'the make,'" he says, "sitting down at the sewing machine and actually physically making something. A lot of American designers are more about going to school, to Parsons and F.I.T. I never went to school for design; it was what my mother taught me and practical experience." He moved to Los Angeles in the 70's and designed clothes for pop music stars like Diana Ross, Rod Stewart, and the Bee Gees. In 1988, Tyler met Lisa Trafficante at the nightclub Helena's. "We met and fell in love and formed this company," says Tyler. His wife is the president of Richard Tyler. "She is the boss," he says. Two and a half years ago, they had a son, Edward. When the couple started his line, they opened a store, Tyler Trafficante, on Beverly Boulevard in L.A. Before long, he was showing his collections in New York City. That's when the Anne Klein company came to call, signing on Tyler to update their designer label and appeal to a younger customer. The arrangement was ended after one year; another designer was tapped to replace Tyler before the Anne Klein collection was regrettably shut down for good. However, Tyler doesn't harbor bitterness over the mishap: "Anne Klein was a great experience," he says. "I learned about American sportswear, how to work with people, about New York and how it works."