Masseys for the Masses: Harry Massey and a London Fashion Empire

In 1936 Harry Massey (1901-1972) was profiled by the American fashion journal Women’s Wear Daily. The journal described him as fitting ‘an American description of a high-powered go getter, [...] a sort of financial trust for numerous British dress manufacturing businesses, an organiser of companies and a dynamic salesman.’ This points to the significant role Massey played in the mid-twentieth century London ready-to-wear fashion industry. However, Massey’s name has been forgotten from the trajectory of British fashion history. This paper traced Massey’s businesses from Whitechapel to Harringay and then on to Mayfair, exploring how he operated highly successful fashion brands across different sectors; from wholesale couture to mass-produced fashion.

Central to this paper was a consideration of the significance of an entwined network of Jewish immigrant entrepreneurs who helped to transform the British ready-to-wear industry. Massey, born Harry Masoff in Odessa (then an important city in the Russian empire), was a Jewish émigré who arrived in London as a child, rising quickly from extreme poverty to affluence. This paper demonstrated not only Massey’s personal skills, but the importance of familial relations and wider networks of Jewish makers, businessmen and promoters for helping to secure the success of his various business ventures.