Maurice Rentner (1889-1958) began in the clothing business by working in his father’s button making factory. In 1913, he and a brother formed M & H Rentner, and he formed Maurice Rentner, Inc., in 1923. By the 1930s, Maurice Rentner was established as a maker of quality suits and dresses. He was a founding member and first president of the Fashion Originators Guild of America.
During the 1950s one of the designers at Maurice Rentner was Wilson Folmar. After Rentner’s death in 1958 the company merged with that of his sister, Anna Miller, and Bill Blass, the designer there, became the head designer at Maurice Rentner. Blass acquired the company in 1967 and changed the name to Bill Blass, Ltd. in 1970.
See also: Bill Blass
Written by Lizzie Bramlett, fuzzylizzie.com
from a late 1940s new-look dress
Courtesy of coutureallurevintage.com
from a 1950s dress
Courtesy of memphisvintage
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