Bryant, Lane (1879–1951)
Bryant, Lane (1879–1951)
American clothing designer and entrepreneur. Born Lena Himmelstein in Lithuania in 1879; died in 1951.
Lane Bryant, the first American designer to address the fashion needs of larger women, immigrated to the United States from Lithuania and set up shop as a seamstress specializing in lingerie and maternity clothing. When a pregnant client asked her to make a presentable dinner dress for her, Bryant was inspired to offer her clothing to the general public. In 1910, she opened her first retail shop, catering to pregnant and larger women. Droves of oversized women, usually passed over by the better department stores, clamored for her merchandise. By 1917, Lane Bryant stores had sold over a million dollars in merchandise. The company continued to expand and was later sold to another clothing retailer, The Limited, Incorporated.