Betsey Johnson is a New York women's fashion designer known for her colorful and audaciously feminine clothing designs. As if the clothes were not enough, Johnson is famous for attracting attention with her wild, carefree behavior, which includes her practice of doing a cartwheel at the conclusion of each of her fashion shows. Sarah McLachlan and Salma Hayek number among her celebrity clients, and she was inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame in 2002.

Johnson became enamored with costumes while studying to become a dancer as a young girl. After years of designing for other labels, Betsey Johnson started her own self-titled fashion line in 1978, which met with quick success. Starting from her signature dresses, she has expanded into designs for women's shoes, lingerie, hats, scarves, hand bags, and other fashion accessories.

Varying from outrageously hip to merely whimsical, Betsey Johnson clothing is just about everything but traditional. Much of her clothing is adorned with bright, painterly colors, with trims that are often described as hippie-inspired. Other pieces are said to be inspired by the punk movement. Her lacy dresses and pink motifs have become popular choices for prom goers.

In conjunction with her friend Andy Warhol, Betsey Johnson was a New York locus for the worldwide youthquake movement. The vibrant and independent-minded youthquake movement was a fashion and cultural trend in the 1960s that emphasized a carefree spirit and joie de vivre. On the fashion side, Johnson and Mary Quant popularized one-piece jumpsuits and miniskirts in vivid colors as part of the trend.