Fred Hayman to receive Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award

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Fred Hayman, who helped transform Rodeo Drive from a sleepy mainstreet into a global shopping destination, will be this year’s recipient of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award. The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. May 31 at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way, near where the famous yellow-and-white awnings of Hayman’s legendary Giorgio Beverly Hills boutique once flew.

‘Fred Hayman’s vision helped develop and create this beautiful street into the legendary worldwide brand known as Rodeo Drive,” Peri Ellen Berne, chairman of the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style, said in a statement. ‘Through the Rodeo Drive Committee, his efforts to promote the street extended to the Hollywood crowd and world travelers alike, helping draw brands such as Gucci, Hermes and Tiffany & Co. to the street in the 1970s, along with the arrival of his signature store, Giorgio Beverly Hills. The ensuing cluster of luxury retail shaped Rodeo Drive in a way that rivaled Bond Street, Madison Avenue and Via Condotti.”

Hayman will be honored with a permanent plaque embedded in the sidewalk on the street. The award, created in 2003, honors individuals for their contributions to fashion and entertainment. Previous winners have included Tom Ford, Valentino, James Galanos and Giorgio Armani.

It’s good timing for Hayman. Rose Apodaca’s new book chronicling the famous retailer’s life and times is out in June, titled ‘Fred Hayman: The Extraordinary Difference.’

-- Booth Moore

Fred Hayman, the man behind Giorgio Beverly Hills, stands near a re-creation of the original storefront just blocks from where the doors first opened. Credit: Kirk McKoy/ Los Angeles Times.