Peter J. Nygard is a fashion designer and the chairman of Nygard International, Canada’s premier women’s wear company. Born in 1943 to Finnish-Swedish parents Eeli and Hilkka Nygard, Peter moved to the city of Deloraine with his parents at a very early age. Shortly after, the family moved to Winnipeg, the city where Peter Nygard would later start his business. He graduated from University of North Dakota where he was the president of the business fraternity Delta, Sigma, Pi. He started as a minor shareholder of a wash-and-wear women’s wear company and earned full ownership naming it “Nygard International” after himself. Today the firm has 200 retail shops all over Canada and around 2000 soft shops in North America. He ranked 70th in a list of Richest Canadians published by Canadian Business Magazine in 2009.

The Nygard clothing line consists of a variety of segments. ALIA is one of the sections with a color-based differentiation focusing on pants. TanJay is another segment targeting a slightly different age group. Nygard Moderate includes five different national brands called Allison Daley, Investments, Westbound, Kim Rogers and Caroll Reed. The Nygard Fashion Brands consist of Peter Nygard, Bianca Nygard and NYGARD Collection. This acts as a balance among the different product lines and designs superior material for the main target market of women over 25 years of age. The Peter Nygard brand is famous for its flawless finish and great quality fabric along with product differentiation based on occupations, physical attributes etc. Another competitive advantage Peter Nygard has over his rivals is the superior understanding of technology and its implementation which has seen Nygard International incorporate product tracking methods studied even by companies like Federal Express. A new wing called Nygard 3PL has been introduced to facilitate operation management duties for other fashion houses. Peter Nygard was the author of the paper supporting the initiation of free trade which went in favor of NAFTA and benefited the Canadian fashion industry greatly.

Peter Nygard is an inspired leader who believes in leading by examples. He motivates his personnel to surpass their best and does his own work with a very hands-on approach. His personal life is very flamboyant with regular headlines suggesting affiliations with Hollywood celebrities and models. He constructed the Mayan-themed 150,000 square feet resort in the Bahamas where all the recreational amenities are available. Peter Nygard has started the renovation work of Winnipeg Exchange District which would cost an estimated $90 million. He is a donor for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and a supporter of amateur sports in the Bahamas. For his endeavors, Peter Nygard has received countless awards including the prestigious Commemorative Medal Award, AIM All Star Award and Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee medal.