Pomerantz, Fred (1903-1986)
Dates
- Existence: 1903-1986
Biography
Fred Pomerantz, born in New York City in 1903, started working before the age of 11 for a firm manufacturing coats and suits. Before the age of 20 he had gone into business with a brother. Around the age of 31, he retired temporarily from the apparel business and went to California to engage in various business enterprises, which were largely unsuccessful. He returned to New York and the apparel industry, and in 1938 he launched Leslie Fay, Inc., naming the business after his daughter. In 1955, his son John joined the firm, setting up and running Joan Leslie, Inc. In 1972, John Pomerantz became the President of the parent company and Fred Pomerantz became the Chairman. Fred Pomerantz retired in 1982, and passed away in 1986. Mr. Pomerantz served on the Board of Directors of the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Educational Foundation for the Fashion Industries from 1967-78. After his death, the Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center building was named for him in recognition of a donation by his son, John J. Pomerantz, a former member of Fashion Institute of Technology’s Board of Trustees and foundation.