Peter Nygård Biography: Wife, Age, Children, Net Worth, Parents, Clothing, Wikipedia, Height, Brands

Biography

Peter Nygård (born Pekka Juhani Nygård on July 24, 1941, in Helsinki, Finland) is a renowned Finnish-Canadian former fashion executive and businessman.

He immigrated to Canada with his family as a child in 1952, settling in Manitoba. After graduating with a business degree from the University of North Dakota in 1964, he worked at Eaton’s before founding Nygård International in 1967.

He built the company into a major women’s clothing manufacturer and global brand, specializing in affordable products, at one point achieving a personal net worth estimated in the hundreds of millions and earning him a reputation as one of Canada’s wealthiest individuals.

Known for his extravagant lifestyle, Nygård faced serious criminal allegations starting in late 2020. In November 2023, he was convicted in Toronto of four counts of sexual assault against women, spanning incidents from the late 1980s to the mid-2000s.

He was sentenced to 11 years in prison in September 2024. He has denied all wrongdoing. He faces additional ongoing legal proceedings, including charges in other Canadian jurisdictions and potential extradition to the United States related to allegations of sex trafficking, racketeering, and related offenses over decades.

At age 84, he remains incarcerated while appealing his conviction and facing further cases.

Finnish-Canadian former fashion executive and businessman
Peter Nygard
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Pekka Juhani Nygård
Stage Name:	Peter Nygard
Born:	24 July 1941 (age 84 years old)
Place of Birth:	Helsinki, Finland
Nationality:	Finnish, Canadian
Education:	University of North Dakota
Height:	188 cm
Parents:	Hilkka Nygård, Eeli Nygård
Siblings:	Pirjo-Liisa Nygård Johnson
Spouse:	Not Married
Girlfriend • Partner:	Patricia Bickle (ex.), Kaarina Pakka (ex.), Angelica Szczepaniak (ex.), Beverly Peele (ex.), Suelyn Medeiros (ex.), Anna Nicole Smith (ex.), Janina Fry (ex.), Tanja Karpela (ex.), Sincerely A. Ward (ex.), Pamela Anderson (rum.)
Children:	Kai Zen Bickle, Bianca Nygård, Jessar Nygård, Trey Nygard, Scarlet Nygård, Åliå Nygård, Mika Nygård, Xar Nygård
Occupation:	Businessman • Fashion Executive
Net Worth:	$500 million (USD)

Early Life & Education

Peter Nygård was born Pekka Juhani Nygård on July 24, 1941, in Helsinki, Finland. He is of Finnish ethnicity and later became a naturalized Canadian citizen, often described as Finnish-Canadian.

His parents were Eeli Nygård (father), a baker, and Hilkka Nygård (mother), a seamstress. He had one known sibling, a younger sister named Liisa Nygård (1942–2020), who later took the surname Johnson (now Pirjo-Liisa Nygård Johnson).

In 1952, at around age 11, Nygård immigrated to Canada with his parents and sister. The family initially settled in the small town of Deloraine, Manitoba, where his father worked as an assistant baker.

They lived in humble conditions, starting out in a converted 12×15-foot coal bin without running water or electricity. The family moved to Winnipeg the following year, where his parents eventually opened their own bakery. There is no publicly available information regarding Nygård‘s religion.

In education, Nygård excelled academically and athletically. He later attended the University of North Dakota, graduating in 1964 with a degree in business.

Career

Peter Nygård, after graduating from the University of North Dakota in 1964 with a degree in business and finance, returned to Winnipeg, Manitoba, and joined the prestigious Canadian department store chain T. Eaton‘s as part of their selective Young Executive program, where he worked closely with the Eaton family and was seen as a high-potential leader.

In the mid-1960s, despite having no prior direct experience in ladies’ apparel manufacturing, he was recruited as an equity partner in a struggling Winnipeg garment manufacturer known as Jacob Fashions (or Nathan Jacobs in some accounts).

He invested his savings and secured an $8,000 loan to acquire a 20% stake, and within a few years, bought full control, renamed it TanJay Fashions—a brand that gained widespread recognition—and shifted its focus to women’s apparel.

In 1967, he formally founded Nygård International (initially called Nygård or Nygård Apparel Manufacturing Company) in Winnipeg, starting primarily as a sportswear manufacturer before pivoting to women’s clothing lines.

Under his leadership as founder, chairman, and controlling figure, the company expanded rapidly through innovative “fast-to-market” supply chain systems, global manufacturing partnerships, and strong retail distribution.

The business grew significantly with the expansion into the United States in 1978, establishing design and sales offices in Los Angeles and New York, followed by an international sales and marketing team in Toronto in 1987.

It developed popular, affordable women’s brands, including TanJay, ALIA, Bianca Nygård, and Nygård Collection, sold through major retailers such as Sears, The Bay in Canada, and Dillard’s in the US.

At its peak, Nygård International operated 169 retail stores across North America, employed thousands of people globally (with a large workforce in Winnipeg and North America), and generated annual revenues exceeding $500 million by the early 2000s, with some estimates reaching up to $877 million or $1 billion in later years.

Nygård maintained world headquarters in Times Square, New York, and opened a notable fashion concept retail store there in 2009. He was actively involved in trade policy, serving as chairman of an advisory board that influenced NAFTA negotiations and early trade agreements with China.

His success made him one of Canada’s wealthiest individuals; in 2009, Canadian Business magazine ranked him as the 70th richest Canadian with a net worth of approximately CA$817 million (or around $750 million USD in some reports), with estimates reaching CA$900 million by 2017.

He led the privately held company for over five decades, building it into one of the largest producers of women’s apparel in North America and earning a reputation as a self-made immigrant success story in fashion.

However, following FBI raids on his New York offices in February 2020 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, he stepped down as chairman. The company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020, was liquidated, and is now defunct, effectively ending his career amid ongoing criminal investigations and convictions.

Personal Life

Peter Nygård, born on July 24, 1941, is currently 84 years old.

He has been married only once, briefly in the 1970s (around his late 20s to early 30s) to an unnamed model; the marriage lasted about three years and ended primarily due to his intense work commitments, with no other marriages documented.

Nygård has fathered ten children with eight different women through various non-marital relationships over the decades, though only eight children’s names have been publicly shared or confirmed in reports.

The publicly identified children are Kai Zen Bickle (his eldest son, who has publicly supported allegations against his father and uses the surname Bickle from his mother’s maiden name), Bianca Nygård (a daughter involved in the family fashion business with a brand named after her), Åliå Nygård (sometimes spelled Alia or Aliå, a daughter), Mika Nygård, Jessar Nygård, Scarlet Nygård, Xar Nygård, and Trey Nygård (a son whose mother is former supermodel Beverly Peele; he has also been referred to as Trey Peele).

The remaining two children’s names and details have not been widely disclosed or confirmed in public sources. His dating history and romantic encounters have involved numerous women, frequently models or associates connected to his fashion business and extravagant lifestyle.

Confirmed or reported long-term partners and mothers of his children include Patricia Bickle (a longtime partner and mother of his eldest three: Kai, Bianca, and Åliå, who worked behind the scenes at Nygård International), Kaarina Pakka (mother of son Mika, a Finnish-Canadian former airline flight attendant), Angelica Szczepaniak (also referred to as Angelika Szczepaniak, Polish-born mother of daughter Scarlet), and Beverly Peele (former supermodel and mother of son Trey).

Other notable reported relationships and encounters include Suelyn Medeiros (a Brazilian model and Playboy actress described in legal allegations as a close “girlfriend,” associate, and alleged recruiter who received significant benefits), Anna Nicole Smith (dated in the late 1990s to early 2000s), Janina Fry, Tanja Karpela, Sincerely A. Ward, and various unnamed “girlfriends” referenced in legal filings (including one described as a “known sex worker” in sons’ lawsuits alleging misconduct).

There have also been rumors or alleged brief encounters with figures like Pamela Anderson.

Much of Nygård‘s personal life has been heavily scrutinized and overshadowed by decades-spanning criminal allegations and convictions related to sexual assault and trafficking, many involving women he encountered through his business and social circles; he has denied all wrongdoing in these cases.

Reports on Nygård‘s height vary across sources, with some listing him at 6’2″ (188 cm) (including IMDb and celebrity profiles) and others around 5’11” (180 cm), though no single confirmed measurement is universally accepted.

Net Worth

Peter Nygård‘s net worth has fluctuated significantly over the years, largely tied to the rise and fall of his fashion empire.

At his peak, he was one of Canada’s wealthiest individuals: in 2009, Canadian Business magazine ranked him as the 70th richest Canadian with an estimated net worth of CA$817 million (approximately $750 million USD at the time).

By 2017 and into 2020, estimates often placed his personal fortune at around $900 million, bolstered by Nygård International‘s revenues exceeding $500 million annually and assets including luxury properties, private jets, and global operations.

However, following FBI raids in February 2020 on allegations of sex trafficking and related crimes, Nygård stepped down as chairman, and his company filed for bankruptcy protection in both the US and Canada that same year (including Chapter 15 in New York and receivership in Manitoba).

The business was liquidated and is now defunct, with company assets sold off to pay debts—leaving limited remaining funds (reports from 2021–2022 noted around $10–13 million in trust after sales and payouts, much of which went toward creditors).

These events, combined with ongoing legal battles, civil lawsuits (including a major defamation judgment against him), have led to asset freezes or seizures in some contexts. His incarceration since 2020 (with an 11-year sentence imposed in 2024 for sexual assault convictions) has likely eroded much of his wealth through legal fees, settlements, and lost business value.

As of recent estimates, his net worth is pegged at around $500 million, though this figure appears outdated or optimistic given the bankruptcy and prolonged legal issues.

More recent analyses suggest his accessible wealth may be substantially lower—potentially in the tens to hundreds of millions—due to diminished assets, ongoing litigation, and restrictions imposed by his imprisonment and cases (including potential US extradition).