The Simplicity Pattern Company is a manufacturer of sewing pattern guides, under the "Simplicity Pattern", "It's So Easy" and "New Look" brands. The company was founded in 1927 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Simplicity allowed home seamstresses to create fashionable clothing in a reliable manner. The patterns are manufactured in the US but are distributed and sold in

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, and

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, in some markets by Burda and in

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and

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by third-party distributors. The company licenses its name to the manufacture of non-textile materials such as sewing machines, doll house kits, and sewing supplies. Simplicity is now owned by Design Group Americas, Inc, a subsidiary of the British company IG Design Group plc.

History

James J. Shapiro (1909–1995) founded the Simplicity Pattern Company in 1927 and was its first president. The company was based on an idea of his father's, Joseph M. Shapiro (1888 Russia – 1968 California), a magazine ad salesman. The company at one point was considered part of the NYSE Nifty Fifty stocks. In 1998, the company was acquired by Conso International Corp. Conso subsequently changed its name to Simplicity Creative Group, Inc. Until 2007, the company had its main plant in

Niles, Michigan Niles is a city in Berrien County, Michigan, Berrien and Cass County, Michigan, Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near the Indiana state line city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. The population was 11,988 according to the 2020 Unit ...

. Simplicity Creative Group was acquired by Wilton Brands, Inc. in 2013, and sold in November 2017 to CSS Industries, who in turn were acquired in January 2020 by IG Design Group plc, via their American subsidiary Design Group Americas, Inc. In June, 2025, the parent company of Simplicity, Butterick,

McCall's ''McCall's'' was a monthly United States, American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. The publication ...

, and Vogue pattern lines was sold to liquidation firm Hilco Capital. IG Design Group attributed the sale to recent tariffs, a softening market, and the bankruptcy of Joann.

Sewing from patterns

Simplicity Patterns, like most home sewing patterns, consist of

tissue paper Tissue paper, or simply tissue, is a lightweight paper or light crêpe paper. Tissue can be made from recycled pulp (paper), paper pulp on a paper machine. Tissue paper is very versatile, and different kinds are made to best serve these purposes ...

printed with numerical guides and instructions. The paper is pinned on the fabric, and the sewer then cuts along the printed lines and stitches the cloth together to create the finished clothing. Each Simplicity pattern has step-by-step instructions for cutting, stitching, and assembling of clothes. Simplicity aims to emulate fashion designer clothing, and the company currently produces over 1,600 patterns.

References

External links

The Simplicity Pattern Company home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, James J. Fashion journalism Sewing 1927 establishments in New York City Clothing companies of the United States