Cuban fashion designer Adolfo Faustino Sardiña, known professionally as Adolpho, was BOTD in 1923. Born in Cárdenas, his parents died when he was a child. He was brought up by an aunt, who inspired his interest in couture, taking him to fashion shows in Paris and introducing him to Coco Chanel. Educated in Havana, he served in the Cuban Army before emigrating to the United States in 1948. He worked for department store Bergdorf Goodman and later for Chanel and Cristóbal Balenciaga, becoming chief designer for milliner Emma in 1953. He opened his first salon in 1963, dressing celebrities including Wallis Simpson, Betsy Bloomingdale, Babe Paley, Gloria Vanderbilt and Nancy Reagan. His highly structured and extravagant designs fell out of fashion by the 1960s. Returning to Chanel for an unpaid apprenticeship, he re-emerged with ready-to-wear designs: his knitted dresses and silk shirts with Chanel jackets became bestsellers throughout the 1970s. His star rose again in the 1980s as Nancy Reagan entered the White House, becoming one of her favoured designers. He retired in 1993, living comfortably on his licensing agreements with clothing retailers. Discreetly gay, he lived with his partner Edward C. Perry for more than 40 years until Perry’s death in 1994. He died in 2021, aged 98.