Lilli Ann

American, 1933–2000

LocationSan Francisco, California, United States

Biographyhttp://www.jennyhaniver.com/lilliann/history.html

In 1933, Adolph Schuman founded a dress wholesaling business in San Francisco, naming the company "Lilli Ann" after his wife, Lillian. From meagre beginnings, the company quickly grew through Schuman's diligence and enterprise. By 1940, Lilli Ann sales topped $1 million annually.

In the late 40s, two three-story buildings were erected at the corner of 16th and Mission in San Francisco. The new Lilli Ann factory was state-of-the-art for its time, and would remain in use through the 1980s, employing around 500 workers.

The company's creative practice was to employ a team of designers who worked cooperatively. When the company began, Schuman sent an in-house model, Jean Wright, to learn pattern-making so she could do double-duty as a designer; an English coat designer named Arthur Carew was in the company's employ at the same time. In 1954, the house hired Billie Jean Dugan, who created the curvaceous and elaborate peplum suits and princess coats that were worn by celebrities such as Esther Williams, and became the company's signature look. Evelyn Thomas, first hired in the mid-50s to clean and run errands, soon became Dugan's assistant, and remained on the design team through the 1980s.

Person TypeInstitution