Edith Flagg
Edith Flagg | |
|---|---|
| Born | Faierstein (also known as Feuerstein) Template:Birth date Vienna, Austria |
| Died | August 13, 2014 (aged 94) Century City, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Fashion designer, executive, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1948–2000 |
| Known for | Introduction of polyester fabric into the American fashion market; appearances on Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles |
Edith Flagg (born Faierstein, also known as Feuerstein; November 1, 1919 – August 13, 2014) was an Austrian-born American fashion designer, executive in the fashion sector, and philanthropist. She pioneered the introduction of polyester fabric into the American fashion market.[1] In her later years, Flagg became well-known for her recurring appearances on Bravo's television series Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, where she featured alongside her grandson Josh Flagg.[2][3]
Early life
Edith Flagg was born into a Jewish family in Vienna, Austria, on November 1, 1919, and spent her upbringing in Galați, Romania, where her father worked professionally as a photographer. At the age of 15, she returned to Vienna to pursue studies in fashion. After the 1938 Anschluss, she escaped to the Netherlands with her then-boyfriend and future husband Hans Stein.[1]
During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Flagg adopted the identity of Lydia Voskuilen, who had passed away, to avoid detection. She hid her son Michael in a sanitarium and disguised herself as a nurse to visit him.[2][4] Hans Stein was captured and perished at Auschwitz in 1944.[2]
Following Stein’s death, Flagg became involved with the Dutch resistance movement where she met and wed her second husband, Erich Simon Flegenheimer (later known as Eric Flagg). Together they participated in life-saving efforts during the war; Edith served as an intelligence operative, collecting information from Nazi soldiers.[2][4][5] After World War II, Eric emigrated to the United States. Edith and Michael lived on a kibbutz in Palestine before joining him in America. Initially residing with Hans’ parents in San Francisco, they moved to Los Angeles by 1949.[6][7]
Career
Flagg launched her professional journey in New York City in 1948 working as a seamstress. She progressed into design roles and subsequently operated within Los Angeles’ Garment District. In 1956, with an initial capital of $2,000, she introduced her first dress collection. Her enterprise, Edith Flagg, Inc., remained active from 1956 until her retirement in 2000, specializing in wrinkle-resistant knitwear produced domestically. By 2012, this business was a significant factor in her estimated $100 million net worth.
She was a trailblazer in bringing polyester fabric to the United States market after discovering Crimplene—a type of polyester manufactured by Imperial Chemical Industries based in Leeds, England—during a vacation in Switzerland in the 1960s. Originally developed for military uniforms and parachutes during WWII, Crimplene became available as surplus following the war’s end. Flagg secured an exclusive agreement with DuPont to import and promote Crimplene under the polyester brand and also imported Dacron fabric. Over time, Edith Flagg, Inc. grew from a Los Angeles-based dress manufacturer into an international fashion enterprise with offices and showrooms throughout major American cities and London, alongside a production facility located in Hong Kong.
In addition to her design work, she authored weekly business columns titled "By the Way" for both California Apparel News and Women's Wear Daily. Later in life, Flagg appeared on Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, providing entrepreneurial guidance to her grandson Josh Flagg. Josh published A Simple Girl: Stories My Grandmother Told Me in 2009, which recounts her experiences surviving WWII and building a career in fashion.
Philanthropy
After retiring in 2000, Flagg dedicated her efforts to charitable work, with a focus on supporting Jewish organizations and healthcare initiatives. She contributed as both a donor and board member to the United Jewish Welfare Fund as well as the City of Hope National Medical Center located in California. The earnings from her autobiography, A Simple Girl: Stories My Grandmother Told Me, were gifted to the Jewish Federation. Both Flagg and her spouse were honored multiple times by the National Conference of Christians and Jews alongside the United Jewish Welfare Fund.
Personal life
Flagg was fluent in several languages, including Yiddish, Hebrew, Romanian, English, French, German, and Dutch. She and her husband acquired a penthouse at The Century Towers in Los Angeles in 1976, purchasing it from Jack Benny for what was then a record-breaking condominium price.
Death
Flagg passed away due to natural causes on August 13, 2014, at the age of ninety-four in her penthouse situated in Century City. Her final resting place is Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California. Following the burial, a reception took place at Hillcrest Country Club.
Further reading
Note: arranged chronologically
- "Edith Flagg's Reason-Why: To Design Clothes for the Average Customer's Budget" Virginia Scallon, California Apparel News, Jan 3, 1969, p. 26
- "Flagg-Waiving" Women's Wear Daily, Oct 23, 1967
- Women's Wear Daily, Feb 13, 1968, p. 21
- Harry & Sidney Arkin Buying Office, Apr 18, 1968 – Edith Flagg: Pioneer in Polyester Knits
- California Apparel News, Jan 3, 1969
- Women's Wear Daily, Jan 6, 1971 – Edith Flagg: First American Woman to Use Polyester
- Fashionweek, Mar 27, 1972 – Flagg Merchant's Club president for three years
- California Apparel News, Dec 20, 1974
- "DIALOGUE with Eric and Edith Flagg," Barbara Freidman, Managing Editor, California Apparel News, Mar 23, 1975, p.17
- Beverly Hills Courier, Jan 9, 1976 – Flagg as chair of City of Hope's Committee on Ideology
- Edith Flagg: Celebrating 20 Years of Success, California Apparel News, Jun 11, 1976, p.9
- Jewish Federation Council Bulletin, Jul 7, 1980 & Mar 2, 1981
- California Apparel News, Mar 20 & Apr 3, May 15, 1981
- Los Angeles Jewish Community Bulletin, Nov 23, 1981; Sep 27, 1982
- United Jewish Fund Campaign Updates – Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles (1985–1986)
- Century City News, Mar 18, 1986
- Beverly Hills Courier and Beverly Hills 213 (2002–2006) – Coverage on Cindy Flagg and Cedars-Sinai
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