Rima dress, c.1947: Jewish émigré entrepreneurship and London wholesale couture

Concealed within the V&A’s extensive fashion collection are many stories of Jewish immigrant entrepreneurship, waiting to be told. One exuberant novelty print crepe dress made c 1947,has a particularly complex (and arguably complete) story of Jewish émigré design success, offering a lens through which to consider the role of Jewish men and women in the London fashion industry in the 1940s, from design inspiration to final product (T.505-1985). The dress, designed and produced by wholesale couture firm Rima (established 1939), made from a fabric produced by textile company Ascher (established 1942), with a print designed by Feliks Topolski, is a rare survival, one of only a handful of known examples of wholesale couture produced before the early 1950s.

The 1930s saw an influx of creative, talented Jewish entrepreneurs, designers and makers arrive in London, having been forced to leave their homes owing to Nazi persecution of Jewish people. Whilst many had highly successful businesses in their own countries- from Poland to Austria, Czechoslovakia to Germany, the majority fled their homes with almost nothing, having to effectively start again on arrival in Britain. This can be seen with some of the figures involved in creating the Rima dress.

This paper will tell the interwoven story of the figures involved with the design and manufacture of this dress, ultimately demonstrating the Importance of immigrant networks for the fashion industry and how these Jewish men and women helped to ensure the post-war success of London fashion, internationally.