item 108 - Abe Schrader interview, 1982 August 30 & September 29

Abe Schrader was a Jewish Polish-American clothing manufacturer. Schrader learned to cut patterns and make clothing at his uncle's company as a shipping clerk, and opened his own factory, acting as a contractor from 1927 to 1952. His business flourished when he was contracted to make uniforms for the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps. Schrader opened his clothing company Abe Schrader Corp. in 1969, specializing in dresses and separates. He sold his company to Interco Inc. in 1984 and eventually retired in 1989 after failing to negotiate the buy back of his company.

"Mildred Finger Haines ... helped shape fashion tastes for four decades as a top buyer for department stores and a consultant to clothes makers and retailers.... From the late 1940's through the late 1960's, Mrs. Haines, known throughout her career as Mildred Finger, was a buyer of ready-to-wear at Macy's, Ohrbach's and Bergdorf Goodman, and was one of New York City's most often cited taste makers. At Bergdorf's, in particular, she was noted for bringing European styles to American consumers. She later became Vice President of Charles of the Ritz, headed fashion merchandising for Yves St. Laurent and became an independent consultant, with clients like the Limited and Arthur D. Little. Suffering from multiple sclerosis, she retired in 1986. In succeeding years, she frequently contributed her knowledge of the fashion industry to the oral history projects of the American Jewish Committee and the Fashion Institute of Technology...." New York Times Obituary, 1995