I recently came across this post by Nick Forde on FB, and found it very fascinating, so I thought I'ld share it with you:
Amelia Earhart’s accomplishments above the clouds made her a worldwide icon, but she was also a savvy businesswoman. In the 30s, Earhart became one of the first celebrities to create her own fashion line.
Today, women almost always purchase their clothing as “separates,” but it was the record-setting aviator who popularized this trend. While this little-known aspect of her iconic career ended up sideways, her fashion-forward, yet practical, designs continue to influence fashion designs to this day.
After becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a solo pilot, Earhart found herself short of funds. In order to ensure that her career as a groundbreaking aviator didn’t just crash and burn, Earhart and her husband George Charles Putnam (who also served as her manager) turned to fashion.
The idea for Earhart’s line was likely inspired by a visit from renowned fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. The two women discussed the idea of practical clothes for “active living,” the same brand of clothing that Earhart would later release.
Earhart began manufacturing her clothing line in 1933 in her suite in New York’s Hotel Seymour. Her work space only included a sewing machine and a mannequin. With the help of a single seamstress, Earhart brought her fashion line to life. Initially debuting at R.H. Macy & Co. in New York, Amelia Earhart Fashions went on to be sold at 30 department stores nationwide.
The clothing line included 25 outfits, from dresses and skirts to pants and outerwear. Each garment featured a tag with Earhart’s signature in black writing overlapping a red plane darting from left to right.
The clothing line was groundbreaking, eccentric and practical. And although families across the country were struggling with the fallout from the Great Depression, fashion—albeit fashion on a dime—was still as important as ever.
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