Albert Nipon was a popular clothing brand founded by Albert and Pearl Nipon. Married in 1953, they started their maternity wear company, Ma Mere, a year later. Albert ran the business, while Pearl, who had previously owned a dress shop with her sister Dorothy, was the brand’s designer. In a few short years, the Nipons grew Ma Mere into a nationwide chain of more than 100 stores.
In the late 1960s, they sold Ma Mere and debuted a line of ultra-feminine, high-end dresses for a chic clientele. The new focus made Albert Nipon one of the most popular labels of the 1970s and 1980s. At its peak, the company grossed $60 million a year and employed 600 people in their Philadelphia factory, making it the city’s largest employer of unionized garment workers.
In 1985, Nipon was sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion and conspiracy. Upon his early release in 1987, he set about reviving his ailing business. Things were briefly looking up, until his banks abruptly severed the company’s line of credit. In 1988 the company declared bankruptcy and was acquired by Leslie Fay Co., with the Albert Nipon brand remaining as a division that the Nipons continued to run. Leslie Fay Co. ceased operations in 1992.
Written by Ranch Queen Vintage
from a 1970s dress
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from a 1970s peasant dress
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from a 1970s wool dress
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from a late-1970s jacket
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from an early-1980s coat
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from a 1980s silk dress
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