Enterprise And Courage Mark Rise Of Juvenile Dress Designer

Chronicle (Levin), 3 June 1949, Page 7

Enterprise And Courage Mark Rise Of Juvenile Dress Designer

Free Enterprise, courage, ingenuity and perseverance are woven skilfully into the successful story of Jean Durain, one of America's leading designers and manufacturers of children's garments, 1127 South Wall Street, Los Angeles. Garments designed by her are stocked by Wallace's Fashion Leaders, Levin. The pattern of Free Enterprise, indomitable courage- and unflinching desire to attain the firiest in children's wear enabled the designer and manufaeturer to start a business with a one woman staff, one sewing machine, one room and a capital of 500 dollars.

Today .the colour harmony, perfect fit and workmanship oi Miss Durain's garments bring to -her door not on:y the nation's leading buyers of children's clothes, but international merchants and manufacturers from ail over the world and it has taken her to New Zealand. sive t'o rth'e New Zealand market. this year, Miss Durain explained. "We do not export the dresses ready made from here because tariif costs make them loo expensive for the Australian market. "The manufacturers employ their own labour but use our sty.es and materials." | While the attractive, curly haired brunette, wife of Spencer Austrian, attorney, peers into the future, she reminisces further back to the days when she worked as a chocolate dipper to earn enough money to keep her in designing school. Finally Landed Job. "I was stuaying desxgning at the Frank Wiggins school but my money would run out and I womd have to leave school and go to work," Miss Durain explained. "Then I would earn some money, quit my job and return to school. "It wasn't because the tuition was expensive either. I paid only a dollar a semester. I needed money because - there were ■ six younger children that had to be fed, and since I was next to the oldest I had to help support them as well as myself. "I managed to finish my designing course and graduated in 1932. From there I went out into a world at a time when manufacturers were going broke' so fast it made your head swim. I walked the streets so long I began wondering if the time and energy I- spent studying designing was worth it. "Finally I landed a designing job for 14 dollars a week and in time managed to find a manufaeturer willing to start me at 30 dollars. I worked as a designer for nine years and in December, 1940, decided to go into business for myself." Launched Plant. She explained that her husband started her in business by renting a room. in the Builder's Exchange building on Seventh street and Los

Angeles, with an initial investment of 500 dollars. ■ "Tha't is how I was launched on my designing and manufacturing career with . a one woman staif," Miss Durain continued. "I had to do hiy own designing, grading, cutting, sewing and even make my own de iveries. "But I needed more space and again my husband came to ~ the ;rescue and rented one side of the .building at 1127 South Wail SLreet. i>I couldn't alford new equipment, Inor pay to hire anyone, so here I jwas, still by my loriesome with one ' sewing machine in 375(fsquare feet of space. j "Finally I asked my cousin who 'had just graduated to corne and ,help me. She represented my first !hired help. Another sewing 'machine for my cousin was added to my equipment and now my business inclucled two workers, my cousin and I, two, sewing machines and plenty of office space. "I began selling more and more • designs and my business was expanding so that I needed more and more workers. But with the war and labour shortage I decided to train high school students after school hours. I hired 18 student trainees. "In a short time I rented the ^ther half of the factory because imy staff was getting so large it had to be divided into deparLments," Miss Durain said. Painstaking Work. At the department where the children's dresses are fitted the de'signer remarked: "This is where the most painstaking part of my work is done. The greatest problem in children's clothes is fltting ,them properly. I .really give' children an Adrian fit because I take more pains fltting a child than any other manufaeturer in the country. I do it because I like it." When ask'ed whether her dresses have ever won n-'izes in fashion shows, 1>he designer and manufaeturer smiled and replied. . ; • "I won three blue ribbons or first prizes in fashion shows for three consecutive years, in 14)42, 1943 and 1944. After 1944 the style shows were discontinued."— P.B.A.