MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Fashion Group International, founded in 1930, provided space for women to grow and advance in the fashion industry in New York City. Membership included some of the biggest names in the industry and the scope of FGI membership included everyone from department store purchasers to costume designers to interior decorators. Fashion Group intended to create a cohesive American fashion industry and promote New York as a fashion capital. The group expanded quickly and established chapters across the United States as well as internationally. This research focuses on the ways that Fashion Group aided women in career advancement. It examines the relationships and networks between members and between companies, looking for proof that women served as mentors to younger members and if women used their positions to aid both their own career goals as well as to promote their company. The paper will use the Fashion Group records held at New York Public Library, as well as members’ personal papers, to show the relationships between members and how those relationships helped women advance in the fashion industry and how they helped each other create new positions for themselves.