The woman behind the Lilly Pulitzer fashion line passed away on Sunday April 7, 2013 at the age of 81. From a young age, Lilly circulated around prestigious families as a student enrolled in a prominent boarding school. Lilly was most known as a Palm Beach, Florida socialite who was married to Peter (Herbert) Pulitzer, grandson of famous publisher Joseph Pulitzer, from 1950-1969.
History
As a wealthy housewife, Lilly spent much of her time roaming Florida’s orange groves and taking care of her three young children. Overwhelmed by the duties of motherhood, Lilly had a nervous breakdown and entered a luxurious mental facility to seek help. "The doctor there said, 'You're not happy because you're not doing anything,' and I said, 'I don't know how to do anything.' I'd always had everything done for me, always had my nanny and my mummy making up my mind. The doctor said, 'You've got to go out and find something to do,'" Pulitzer told The New Yorker in 2000. When Pulitzer returned home she opened a juice stand in 1959.
Pressing juices daily, Pulitzer wished she could camouflage the spills on her clothing by designing brightly colored prints to wear instead. She brought the idea to her tailor who then designed a sample dress which was hung behind her fruit stand for sale. Pulitzer’s dresses soon began to outsell the orange juice at her stand. Pulitzer decided to collaborate with Laura Robbins, a former fashion designer, to develop a business plan to further distribute the dresses which became known as “Lilly’s”. Key West Hand Print Fabrics company produced the fabrics that were then distributed by the main factory in Miami, FL.
The success of her designs reached new heights when former schoolmate Jacqueline Kennedy and other members of the Kennedy, Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, and Whitney families were photographed wearing dresses of their own. In 1966, The Washington Post stated that Pulitzer’s designs were becoming so popular that the store located in Southhampton wrapped purchased dresses in clear plastic bags so that customers could display which dress of choice they proudly purchased.
In 1969, Lilly and Peter Pulitzer divorced after nineteen years of marriage and three children. Although she married Enrique Rousseau shortly after, Lilly Rousseau maintained the label “Lilly Pulitizer” for her company.
In 1984, Rousseau closed the company and retired due to her lack of ongoing passion for the business. In 1993, Sugartown Worldwide, Inc. purchased the rights to the company in hope to revive the brand that was dearly loved. "When Lilly started the business back in the '60s, she targeted a young customer because she was young," President of Sugartown Worldwide stated to the AP in 2003. "What we have done is target the daughter and granddaughter of that original customer. Rousseau approved of the new initiative and joined the company as a creative consultant that authorized new collections, designs, and fabrics.
"I designed collections around whatever struck my fancy ... fruits, vegetables, politics, or peacocks! I entered in with no business sense. It was a total change of life for me, but it made people happy," Pulitzer told The Associated Press in March 2009.
In 2010, Sugartown Worldwide was bought by Oxford Industries. In the same year, Lilly Pulitzer’s earnings rose 26% to $29.1 million. Oxford Industries plans to continue to open four to six new Lilly stores each year across the country.
Where does the brand go now?
Well, Lilly Pulitzer has not been managed by Rousseau for almost a decade and will continue to maintain a share in the retail market as a leader in women's high end resort apparel even after her death. Lilly Pulitzer is a brand that has maintained global awareness over several decades. Rousseau's death provided the company an opportunity to revive their brand in the media and commemorate their ongoing legacy. The brand will continue to do well as they market towards the daughters and grand-daughters of their first customers.