item 38 - Eli Elias interview, 1982 March 25

Eli Elias was born in Rochester, New York on August 2nd 1912. In 1929, Elias moved to New York to work at his uncle's clothing manufacturing factory. Two years later, he became a partner Maybro Sportswear company. Elias left the firm in 1934 to start his own fashion company, Elias Sportswear. Elias worked as president until 1979, passing the company along to his son Richard. That same year, Elias became president of the New York Skirt and Sportswear Association. Elias sat on many fashion council boards, including the Garment Industry Development Corporation, the Educational Foundation for the Fashion Institute of Technology, and the Council for American Fashion. Eli Elias passed away in September of 2004 at the age of 92.

"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