Who Is Amsale Aberra’s Husband, Neil Brown?

Amsale Aberra, founder, co-owner and creative director of Amsale — the modern couture wedding gown designing company — died Sunday at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York at the age of 64. Aberra was battling with uterine cancer.

Aberra is survived by her husband Clarence O’Neill “Neil” Brown III, who also serves as the chief executive officer of his wife’s namesake brand, and a daughter, Rachel Brown, who is a singer and songwriter. Brown expressed his grief through a statement.

"Amsale was not only an inspiration to the company, but someone who inspired and impacted everyone around her with her strength, kindness and humility. Working side-by-side, we spent 360 degrees of our life together, and I know only too well both her creative genius and her infinite goodness. Words cannot express the personal loss that we feel, but we are comforted by the avalanche of support we've received and the commitment of our team to carry on Amsale's legacy,” he said, Los Angeles Times reported.

Brown was born on Nov. 1, 1952 in Jersey City, New Jersey. His father, Clarence, died when Brown was three years old and his mother went to work first as a secretary and then as a loan officer in a bank to support her family financially, History Makers reported.

Brown attended Nishuane Elementary school in New Jersey, and then Newark Academy in Livingston, New Jersey. Brown pursued his graduate degree from Harvard University in 1974 and went on to receive his M.B.A. degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration. He also got a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1979.

The following year, he began his career as a lawyer in the law firm of Sherman & Sterling. A year later, he was employed by the Home Box Office (HBO), where he went on to serve as vice president of programming.

In 1986, he and his wife started their bridal gown business out of their New York City apartment, that came to be known as the Amsale Group, and includes the three luxury bridal collections — Amsale, Christos and Kenneth Pool. In 2001, Brown was named the executive officer of the brand.

Brown is also the founder of Anavista Entertainment, L.L.C., a music, film and television production, distribution and consulting company created in 1998.

Brown was also a member of the Sigma Pi Phi fraternity — the first successful and oldest African-American Greek-lettered organization, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — and served as Sire Archon of Beta Zeta Boule from 2005 to 2007.

Aberra’s designs were featured in a number of movies including "Something Borrowed," "The Hangover" and "27 Dresses" and TV shows including "Grey's Anatomy" and "Brothers and Sisters." Her dresses have been donned by a number of celebrities for red carpets and photo shoots including Heidi Klum, Gayle King, Vivica Fox, Bethenny Frankel and Salma Hayek.

Mara Urshel, co-owner of Kleinfeld said about Aberra: "She really was a trendsetter in the business. She was the first one who really introduced very classic lines, beautiful clothes and getting away from all the old traditions of lace, beads and everything that really wasn't modern anymore. She really created the modern wedding dress.”