About Robert Tonner

After graduating from the Parsons School of Design, Robert Tonner was invited to join Bill Blass, an internationally recognized force in the fashion field, and soon became one of the company’s top designers, heading up the Blassport label. Throughout his career, Tonner’s contemporary classic view of how a modern American woman should dress continually caught the eye of the fashion world’s trend-spotters—his designs were featured regularly in such publications as Women’s Wear Daily, Town & Country, New York Magazine, The New York Times and Vogue.

Tonner’s long-time interest in dolls led him to become a collector, and in 1982, to try his hand at doll sculpting. In 1985, Tonner received a glowing review, from an esteemed panel of judges at the National Institute of American Doll Artists Conference in NYC, for a model-like fashion doll he had entered for critique. During the years that followed, Tonner turned more of his attention to developing and perfecting his doll designs while still pursuing the career of a rising fashion designer. In 1991, he left the fashion industry to follow his dream and start the Robert Tonner Doll Company (www.tonnerdoll.com).

All of Tonner’s dolls and costumes reflect their creator’s fashion industry background and desire for perfection. They have been prominently featured in national and international media including People Magazine, CNN, Entertainment Tonight, Women’s Wear Daily and British Vogue Magazine. Recently, several of his creations were added to the permanent collection of the Louvre Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, France. Tonner’s top line, Tyler Wentworth®, is based on the life of a New York City fashion designer and her exquisite wardrobe of hand-beaded silks, luxurious cashmere and camel hair, and a myriad of exclusive haute couture fabrics.

Robert Tonner is the Creative Director for the entire Ellowyne Wilde™ line of dolls, fashions, and accessories. “When I teamed up with Wilde Imagination, we quickly found we had the same vision – we wanted to create something totally different; something no one else was doing that would shake up the collectible doll world,” said Tonner. “Ellowyne is the perfect mix of beauty, fashion, and intrigue. I hope collectors enjoy Ellowyne as much as I have enjoyed creating her.”