Born deaf in Ragusa, Italy, on November 10, 1940, John A. Leggio began an apprenticeship iin tailoring in Palermo, He went on to study fashion design in Rome, and became a master tailor in 1962.

Six years later, Leggio moved to New York and began work for Brooks Brothers, One of the world's most famous clotheiers. But when he learned of a job opening at the United States Military Academy, he moved sixty miles up the Hudson and began a thirty-year career as the Master Tailor of Cadet Gray.

During his time at West Point, Leggio oversaw numerous design changes to Cadet attire, and he worked on all of the uniforms produced by the Cadet Uniform Factory. The factory became so well known that order military organizations came to have uniforms designed and produced by Leggio and his team. He is credited with designing not only the USMA full dress coat but also the uniform of the Old Guard, the USA Army's oldest active duty infantry unit and escort to the president of the United States.

John Leggio retired on March 3, 2000, excatly thirty years to the day after his arrival at West Point. He now lives in Florida with his wife.