Liz Claiborne, one of the giants of the fashion industry, died Tuesday in New York of complications from cancer. She was 78.

Along with Donna Karan a decade later, Claiborne’s name is synonymous with outfitting the new career women of the ’70s and ’80s. In fact, Karan’s first major fashion job was with the Claiborne company.

Claiborne, a Belgian-born designer, founded her company with her second husband, Arthur Ortenberg, in 1976, just when legions of young women with lofty goals were entering the workforce. Her bright, tailored separates were feminine and professional, and the company was a hit from the start, grossing $2.6 million its first year. She was breaking the glass ceiling at the same time as her customers, and became the most successful women’s apparel designer in America. By 1985, hers was the first company founded by a woman to be listed in the Fortune 500.