Marcus, Herman

Herman Marcus Inc, founded in 1957, was a Dallas, TX dress designer and manufacturer. Marcus received his initial training in the garment business working for his father who owned a number of ready-to-wear stores in New Mexico. Before opening his own business, Marcus was also a salesman for the Southern territories of a Chicago dress firm. He strove to lure retailers to Dallas on weekends to view lines, typically at the Adolphus and Baker hotels. He partnered with his two brothers, one who had a chain of specialty stores in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, and another, Sidney who was vice president of Herman Marcus.

In 1959, Mr. Marcus was named the Outstanding Manufacturer of the Year by Miami retailers. Their first factory was located at 1306 Pacific, and by 1964 they had four divisions and were doing over $5 million in sales and employed more than 600 people. They also had a facility in Henderson which finished the garments that were designed, cut, and partially sewn in Dallas, where they had capacity to cut up to 1,500 dresses at a time. The House of Marcus had several labels – Herman Marcus, Mr. Jack, Richard Marcus (headed by his son and offering half-sizes), and Miss O’Brien (a line for long-waisted women) designed by Nova O’Brien. Marcus once said that women in the South and West were a little longer-waisted than other parts of the country, and his New York lines were shorter. Marcus frequently went to department store fashion shows “to meet his customers”. Their Creative Image line for work uniforms was trademarked in 1970.

Marcus sold the business in 1979 to Southwest Apparel Inc. Donovan-Galvani bought Southwestern Apparel in July 1984 – which in addition to Herman Marcus, owned the Applause II dress label and Applause III sportswear label. Herman Marcus died in 1994.

Written by Vintagiality

from a 1960s sheath dress

Courtesy of Vintagiality

from a late-1970s/early-1980s day dress

Courtesy of dollsntrolls