The scene: It was John Lennon’s birthday, and while a pair of musicians crooned songs by Lennon and The Beatles, guests contemplated bidding on a white Fender guitar signed by Paul McCartney or another signed by Yoko Ono. The guitars were part of the silent auction at the Fashion Industries Guild’s 54th annual Man of the Year gala, held on Oct. 9 in Beverly Hills.

This year’s honoree was Christopher Wicks, founder of Los Angeles–based Defiance USA, maker of the English Laundry and Fender apparel lifestyle brands. Wicks decided to honor the late Beatle on what would have been his 70th birthday with a music-themed party that helped complete the Guild’s pledge to build the Fashion Industries Guild Pediatric Acute Care Unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The new unit will provide “advanced medical and nursing care in a focused setting.”

The Guild began raising funds for the project in 2007, with plans to complete its pledge in five years. The funds reaised at the Oct. 9 gala helped the Guild fullfill its pledge in four years.

“I want to emphasize how key all of you in Fashion Industries Guild are to the department of pediatrics,” said Dr. Charles Simmons, chair of pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai. “You truly are a partner in care.”

Born in Manchester, England, Wicks got his start in London. Ken Weinbaum, president of the Fashion Industries Guild, kicked off the evening, describing Wicks’ early interest in fashion. “What began as a pre-teen pastime became a lifetime career,” he said. Weinbaum also read a message to Wicks from Howard Tillman, chairman of the British Fashion Council, chairman of Aquascutum and Jaeger Group, and a longtime friend of Wicks who was unable to attend the event.

“The honor you are receiving is long overdue,” Tillman’s letter read.

Christian Wicks, Christopher’s son, serves as president of English Laundry and introduced his father, praising his hard work and ethics. “I am honored to work alongside him every day,” Christian Wicks said. “On his office door, it reads ‘Pain in the ass.’ And he is hard on us, but he makes us work hard.”

When Christopher Wicks took the stage to accept his award, he began with a joke: “ I brought my doctors tonight. I want to thank them for keeping me alive.” But he soon turned sincere, thanking the guests for their generosity. “In this year, when nobody wanted to give a penny, you guys deserve a round of applause.”—Alison A Nieder

Photography by Thomas Neerken