Nancye Radmin (August 4, 1938 – December 8, 2020), born Nancye Jo Bullard, was an American businesswoman, owner of The Forgotten Woman, a national chain of shops for plus-size clothing.
Nancye Radmin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nancye Jo Bullard August 4, 1938 Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
| Died | December 8, 2020 (aged 82) Lakeland, Florida, United States |
| Occupation | Businesswoman |
Early life edit
Nancye Jo Bullard was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Cochran, Georgia, the daughter of Joe Dykes Bullard Jr. and Jane Johnson Bullard. Her parents had a peanut, pecan, and cotton farm; her mother was a registered nurse. Bullard attended but did not graduate from Middle Georgia College.[1][2]
Career edit
Bullard moved to New York City in the 1960s, and was a secretary before she married. In 1977, Radmin opened The Forgotten Woman boutique on the Upper East Side, to sell high-end designer clothing[3] in larger women's sizes,[4][5] including lingerie, accessories, jewelry, and shoes.[6] "They had all these myths that fat ladies don’t buy expensive clothes", Radmin said in a 1988 interview. "Well, they do. And a lot of ’em".[7] The chain extended to 25 shops across the United States by 1991,[8][9] including locations in suburban Detroit,[10] West Palm Beach[11] and on Rodeo Drive.[12] Her business counted celebrities including Oprah Winfrey among its clientele.[13] In 1990, Savvy magazine ranked The Forgotten Woman among the top 60 American businesses owned and run by women.[14]
In 1991 Radmin stepped down as president of the company,[15] and in 1993, she left the company.[16] The chain folded in 1998.[12] Radmin also worked with Vogue Patterns on a line of plus-sized patterns.[7]
Personal life edit
Nancye Jo Bullard, raised a Southern Baptist, converted to Judaism when she married widower Mack Radmin, a meat wholesaler, in 1968.[1][7] She had two sons, Brett and William. She was widowed when Mack Radmin died in 2006;[17] she died in 2020, aged 82, in Lakeland, Florida.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c Meltzer, Marisa (2020-12-25). "Nancye Radmin, Pioneer of Plus-Size Fashion, Is Dead at 82". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
- ^ Feinberg, Samuel (October 10, 1990). "From Where I Sit: Birth Pangs of a Large-Size Chain". WWD. 160: 31 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Feinberg, Samuel (October 12, 1990). "From Where I Sit: Radmin Gaining Name Designers For Large Women". WWD. 160: 12 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Pauley, Gay (1981-03-16). "Fashionable Fatties? Yes Ma'am". The Daily News. p. 19. Retrieved 2021-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Abraham, Molly (1982-04-22). "Large Women Make Big Play for Fashion". Detroit Free Press. p. 23. Retrieved 2021-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Nancye Radmin to be Honored". WWD. 159: 125. May 8, 1990 – via ProQuest.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Bonnie; Powell, Lee (April 25, 1988). "Nancye Radmin Hits It Big by Making Outsized Clothes Look in". People. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
- ^ "Big Women, Big Profits". Newsweek. 1991-02-24. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
- ^ Louie, Elaine (1991-03-24). "Smiling In My Size 14". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
- ^ Muller, Joann (1990-09-06). "Forgotten Fashion". Detroit Free Press. p. 27. Retrieved 2021-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Grantham, Loretta (1991-03-07). "Chic at Any Size". The Palm Beach Post. p. 224. Retrieved 2021-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Hagerty, James R. (2021-01-07). "Entrepreneur Sold High Fashion in Plus Sizes at Forgotten Woman Stores". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
- ^ Turk, Rose-Marie (1989-12-29). "Remembering Forgotten Women". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
- ^ Burton, Katherine (1990-10-23). "60 With Savvy". Daily News. p. 313. Retrieved 2021-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Ozzard, Janet (April 14, 1993). "The Forgotten Woman Shapes Up". Women's Wear Daily. 165: 12 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Moin, David (1997-08-22). "The Forgotten Woman Set to Rekindle its Niche". WWD. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
- ^ "Mack Radmin Obituary". New York Times (via Legacy). December 28, 2006. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
