Odette Barsa (née Matouk, 29 December 1901 – 8 January 1975) was an American lingerie designer, and the founder of the eponymous label.

Biogrpahy

Odette Barsa was born in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

on 29 December 1901. In 1925, she married Simon Barsa (1888–1977), a Syrian-born businessman. After the

1929 stock market crash The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

, her husband's business struggled, so she started making lingerie. In the 1930 census, he was described as "Manufacturer, Rugs". They had three children, Gabriel, Albert and Nadia, all born in New York. Over time her business grew to occupy a whole floor of 16 East 34th Street, New York City. Her designs are represented today in the holdings of the

Texas Fashion Collection The Texas Fashion Collection is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and documentation of historically significant fashion. It is operated by the University of North Texas through the College of Visual Arts and Design (CVAD) and ...

, the Mint Museum, and the

Goldstein Museum of Design The Goldstein Museum of Design (GMD) is a museum on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. It is part of the University’s College of Design. GMD was founded in 1976 and is the only museum in the Upper Midwest specializing in design ...

. Barsa died in January 1975, and the business continued for some time, run by her sons.

References

1901 births 1975 deaths American women fashion designers Lingerie brands People from New York City Syrian emigrants to the United States {{US-fashion-bio-stub