His first designs were tee shirt dresses which he cut out himself, hiring a few ladies to do the sewing. He took his dresses to stores like Bloomingdales and before long, he had his own label. Established in 1972, he called it Ruffinwear. His forte continued to be tee shirt dresses, and other casual dresses made from jersey knit.

Eventually Ruffin included a dressier line of clothing, as well as loungewear and handbags. A Coty Award Designer who was at his peak in the 1970's, he died in 1992.

"I thought of clothes in the round, and I also thought of basic styles that would enable women to put the mark of their personality on them." Clovis Ruffin, 1978.