Larry Levine (May 10, 1926 – February 9, 2008) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
designer of coats and suits.
He was born in
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn to Polish, Jewish immigrants. He served in the US Navy in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and eventually got a job as a road salesman for Capri Coat in the 1940s. In 1951, Levine founded Larry Levine, Inc. By the mid-1960s his traditional, classic, coats and suits were sold in virtually every clothing store in the country. Larry Levine was one of a very few clothing manufacturers of his time to brand his own name. In the early 1970s, Larry Levine hired London based designer
Gerald McCann
Gerald McCann (born March 20, 1950) is an American Democratic Party politician who served two non-consecutive terms as mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey before being convicted of fraud in a savings-and-loan scam. When he was elected in 1981 he wa ...
to come to New York and design exclusively for him. Their successful partnership lasted through the 1990s. Levine created two labels for McCann: Gerald McCann and Emily Lawrence, LTD. Stan Rutstein, former president of
Casual Corner
Casual Corner was an American retail clothing chain founded in 1950. It operated stores under the names Casual Corner, Petite Sophisticate and August Max Woman brands, among others, with more than 525 stores at its peak.
History
In 1950, childho ...
, called Larry Levine Inc. "the strongest label in women's outerwear in the United States from the sixties through the eighties".
Levine's daughters,
Anne Levine and Elena Levine, both worked with their father in design, styling and sales. Elena went on to design for Anne Klein's coat division. Anne had an eponymous line manufactured by MDP, Inc. in the 1990s. Levine's wife, Emily ran a group of retail stores called Emily Lawrence.
Levine sold part of his company to S. Rothschild, Inc. in 1991 but remained president. In 1996, Levine cut all ties with S. Rothschild.
Larry Levine coats and suits are an integral part of
Federated Stores
Macy's, Inc. (originally Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American conglomerate holding company. Upon its establishment, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus, Filene's, and Shillito ...
' matrix with garments sold in
Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
,
Lord & Taylor and
Nordstrom's
Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and ...
.
References
*The Today Show NB
October 23, 2014
*Article from: Women's Wear Daily , January 14, 1991 , Friedman, Arthur ,
*Article from: Women's Wear Daily , February 5, 1991 ,
*Article from: Women's Wear Daily , May 16, 1995,
External links
''Paid Notice: Deaths LEVINE, LARRY'' New York Times, February 11, 2008.
Larry Levine Obituary. ''Sarasota Herald-Tribune'''.'' February 12, 2008.
*
Gerald McCann (fashion designer)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levine, Larry
American fashion designers
1926 births
1990 deaths