Bernard Ozer, 60; Spotted Trends for Fashion Industry

Bernard Ozer, the colorful trend spotter of the nation’s fashion industry, has died of heart disease at the age of 60.

Jody Donahue, a friend and associate, said from New York on Tuesday that Ozer was 60 and died Sunday at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan.

Until last month, Ozer was vice president of fashion merchandising and marketing at Associated Merchandising Corp. He was known throughout the trade for his weekly newsletter, Ozerview, in which the puckish-looking merchandiser discussed ways to put profit into street fashion.

Ozer, whose wardrobe ran to offbeat extremes, traveled the world looking for trends and styles that could be produced in America and sold in mainstream American stores.

With Associated Merchandising, Ozer helped promote and develop products for member department and specialty stores.

He taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, the University of Alabama and Kent State University in Ohio and appeared regularly on television as an industry spokesman.