Nancye Radmin Explained

Nancye Radmin
Birth Name:Nancye Jo Bullard
Birth Date:August 4, 1938
Birth Place:Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Death Place:Lakeland, Florida, United States
Occupation:Businesswoman

Nancye Radmin (August 4, 1938 – December 8, 2020), born Nancye Jo Bullard, was an American businesswoman, owner of The Forgotten Woman, a national chain of shops for plus-size clothing.

Early life

Nancye Jo Bullard was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Cochran, Georgia, the daughter of Joe Dykes Bullard Jr. and Jane Johnson Bullard. Her parents had a peanut, pecan, and cotton farm; her mother was a registered nurse. Bullard attended but did not graduate from Middle Georgia College.[1] [2]

Career

Bullard moved to New York City in the 1960s, and was a secretary before she married. In 1977, Radmin opened The Forgotten Woman boutique on the Upper East Side, to sell high-end designer clothing[3] in larger women's sizes,[4] [5] including lingerie, accessories, jewelry, and shoes.[6] "They had all these myths that fat ladies don’t buy expensive clothes", Radmin said in a 1988 interview. "Well, they do. And a lot of ’em".[7] The chain extended to 25 shops across the United States by 1991,[8] [9] including locations in suburban Detroit,[10] West Palm Beach[11] and on Rodeo Drive.[12] Her business counted celebrities including Oprah Winfrey among its clientele.[13] In 1990, Savvy magazine ranked The Forgotten Woman among the top 60 American businesses owned and run by women.[14]

In 1991 Radmin stepped down as president of the company,[15] and in 1993, she left the company.[16] The chain folded in 1998. Radmin also worked with Vogue Patterns on a line of plus-sized patterns.

Personal life

Nancye Jo Bullard, raised a Southern Baptist, converted to Judaism when she married widower Mack Radmin, a meat wholesaler, in 1968. She had two sons, Brett and William. She was widowed when Mack Radmin died in 2006;[17] she died in 2020, aged 82, in Lakeland, Florida.

Notes and References

  1. News: Meltzer. Marisa. 2020-12-25. Nancye Radmin, Pioneer of Plus-Size Fashion, Is Dead at 82. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-01-17. 0362-4331.
  2. Feinberg. Samuel. October 10, 1990. From Where I Sit: Birth Pangs of a Large-Size Chain. WWD. 160. 31. ProQuest.
  3. Feinberg. Samuel. October 12, 1990. From Where I Sit: Radmin Gaining Name Designers For Large Women. WWD. 160. 12. ProQuest.
  4. News: Pauley. Gay. 1981-03-16. Fashionable Fatties? Yes Ma'am. 19. The Daily News. 2021-01-17. Newspapers.com.
  5. News: Abraham. Molly. 1982-04-22. Large Women Make Big Play for Fashion. 23. Detroit Free Press. 2021-01-17. Newspapers.com.
  6. May 8, 1990. Nancye Radmin to be Honored. WWD. 159. 125. ProQuest.
  7. Web site: Johnson. Bonnie. Powell. Lee. April 25, 1988. Nancye Radmin Hits It Big by Making Outsized Clothes Look in. 2021-01-17. People.
  8. Web site: 1991-02-24. Big Women, Big Profits. 2021-01-17. Newsweek. en.
  9. News: Louie. Elaine. 1991-03-24. Smiling In My Size 14. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-01-21. 0362-4331.
  10. News: Muller. Joann. 1990-09-06. Forgotten Fashion. 27. Detroit Free Press. 2021-01-17. Newspapers.com.
  11. News: Grantham. Loretta. 1991-03-07. Chic at Any Size. 224. The Palm Beach Post. 2021-01-17. Newspapers.com.
  12. News: Hagerty. James R.. 2021-01-07. Entrepreneur Sold High Fashion in Plus Sizes at Forgotten Woman Stores. en-US. Wall Street Journal. 2021-01-17. 0099-9660.
  13. Web site: Turk. Rose-Marie. 1989-12-29. Remembering Forgotten Women. 2021-01-17. Los Angeles Times.
  14. News: Burton. Katherine. 1990-10-23. 60 With Savvy. 313. Daily News. 2021-01-17. Newspapers.com.
  15. Ozzard. Janet. April 14, 1993. The Forgotten Woman Shapes Up. Women's Wear Daily. 165. 12. ProQuest.
  16. Web site: Moin. David. 1997-08-22. The Forgotten Woman Set to Rekindle its Niche. 2021-01-17. WWD. en-US.
  17. Web site: December 28, 2006. Mack Radmin Obituary. 2021-01-22. New York Times (via Legacy). en.