Sister Max

Sister Max was the label of a most unusual designer and entrepreneur.

Max Mathews was born in 1933 to an abjectly poor black undertaker in Virginia. After her parents died, she was placed with a wealthy family of lawyers in Washington D.C., became familiar with high society, received a Master’s degree in education from Columbia University, then a government job and a diplomatic passport.

Mathews was posted as a teacher to Germany, Greece and Moscow before ending up in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1967. She was introduced to lamas and had a spiritual epiphany. She was particularly drawn to the teachings of Thubten Yeshe, a Tibetan Buddhist monk and spiritual leader.

She became deeply involved in raising money to support the lamas and was ordained a Buddhist nun in the first class to graduate from the monastery that she was instrumental in building.

Soon after, Sister Max discovered her mission in managing a home and educational establishment for orphans, refugee children from Tibet, with some preparing for a spiritual life. As the number of children grew, exceeding her teaching earnings, she sought a more sustainable income source.

In about 1977, she began purchasing used saris in India to transform them into skirts and blouses.

The initial sewing was done by hand in Nepal until demand prompted her to find suppliers in New Delhi. Periodically, when her inventory grew sufficient, she would collect the clothing in a trunk and travel to America to sell to retailers. Her first label was Samsara, then came Yeshe, and finally Sister Max.

By 1980, she opted to focus on high-end fashion—the Sister Max label. Muslim craftsmen, who inherited their beading expertise across generations, were recruited for the intricate hand beading incorporated in each design. Every dress, made of silk and adorned with crystal beads, could weigh up to 10 pounds. The gowns were priced between $400 and $1000 each, while Sister Max also offered a collection of casual silk and cobra snakeskin attire with starting prices at $400.

Dresses were worn by celebrities for events like the Academy Awards and the Met Gala during the early 1980s.

Never wearing her own designs, eschewing any trappings of wealth, Max considered all her material possessions belonged to her guru. She was attending to him at the end of his life when some of her associates exploited her absence, resulting in the downfall of the garment business.

Sister Max, the company, went out of business in 1988, and Sister Max, the person, died in 2012.

Written by denisebrain