preview

The Famous Fashion Entrepreneur : Hattie Carnegie

Decent Essays

Hattie Carnegie (March 15, 1880 — February 22, 1956), Seventh Avenue 's legendary fashion entrepreneur, once influenced American Fashion with her brilliant fashion savvy. From the 1920s to the 1960s, her name was synonymous with high fashion, an elegant couture collection and ready to wear lines.

Born March 15, 1886 in Vienna, Austria as Henrietta Kanengeiser, she was the second of seven children. She emigrated with her family to the United Sates as a young girl, following a disatrous fire that destroyed the family home in 1892. From those humble beginnings, her legend arose as she built a $10 million fashion empire.

Hattie-Carnegie-Proof

Pictured above: Hattie Carnegie

Her first job was working with Macy 's in 1901 at the age of 15. She began as salesclerk, and progressed serving as a mannequin and a milliner. While at Macy 's she received the equivalent of a fashion education, as well as sharpening her business acumen. Her passion for design, combined with her unparralleled ability creating fashion styles, and the encouragement of her peers ensured that the rest of her life would dedicated to fashion.

In a prudent business move, Henrietta became known by her sobriquet, 'Hattie ', and also changed her last name to Carnegie in honor of the very successful Andrew Carnegie, one of the most important philathropists of his age.

By 1909, Hattie opened a successful shop with business partner, Rosie Roth. The shop was located on East Tenth Street in New York and

Get Access