Carmelo Pomodoro, a rising talent as an international designer in the fashion industry, died on Oct. 1 at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in Manhattan. He was 37 years old and lived in Cornwall, Conn.
He died of AIDS-related pneumonia, said an announcement from his company, Carmelo Pomodoro, Ltd.
Mr. Pomodoro gained recognition in the early 1980s as one of the leaders in a new generation of designers, and his career grew steadily.
In 1981, when he was just 26, he showed his first full collection at his Manhattan apartment. The New York Times reported, "The collection was, for a young designer, that rare thing -- fully thought out, versatile and well made."
Most of his designing was for women's clothing, but it included some fashions for men. His designs ranged from T-shirts to fur coats and included evening dresses, jackets, pants, skirts, sweaters and shawls. His fashions were produced for stores like HenriBendel and Bergdorf Goodman.
Mr. Pomodoro, a native of New York City, began studying painting at the Parsons School of Design but switched to fashion design. After graduating, he worked as an apprentice for several designers, including Bill Haire, Betty Hanson, Stan Herman and Ralph Lauren. In 1986, Mr. Pomodoro started his own design firm with John Axelrod, a lawyer, as his business partner.
In a joint venture with the Takashimaya Company, he opened a boutique in Tokyo in 1989. Its success led to six more stores in Japan. He expanded to Paris in 1990. The Pomodoro company's headquarters is on Seventh Avenue.
Mr. Pomodoro worked as a volunteer mentor to students in the Parsons Golden Thimble program. He also supported charitable organizations helping children, the homeless, abused women and AIDS patients.