Colin Birch papers

Collection

Identifier: SC.405

Scope and Contents

This collection holds papers including congratulatory cards and letters to him from colleagues, vendors and brands; magazine tear sheets used for research/inspiration; articles about Birch; photographs of his display work as well as personal travel and party snapshots; original design sketches and notes (primarily for Christmas windows); fabric and material samples; and text of remarks prepared by Birch for opening of "America the Beautiful" promotion.

Dates

Creation: Majority of material found within 1980-1987

Creator

Birch, Colin (1951-1988) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Access is open to researchers by appointment at the Fashion Institute of Technology Library, Department of Special Collections and FIT Archive. If you wish to schedule an appointment to view this material or have any questions, visit our website.

Conditions Governing Use

The Department of Special Collections and FIT Archive does not own copyright for all material held in its physical custody. It is the researcher's obligation to abide by and satisfy copyright law (http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#108) when copying or using materials (including digital materials) found in or made available from the department. When possible, the department will inform a researcher about the copyright status of material, the researcher's obligations with regard to such material, and, wherever possible, the owner or owners of the copyrights. Any and all reproduction of originals is at the archivist's discretion.

Biographical / Historical

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Born in Birmingham, England, Colin Birch graduated from the Moseley Art Institute before moving to the US in 1970. He worked on display for the May Company in Cleveland Ohio, then was display manager at Saks Fifth Avenue Old Orchard store in Chicago, then became interior display director at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC. From 1975 to 1977 he was corporate director of visual presentation at Bonwit Teller, where he made waves by creating "minimalist" window displays, removing separating dividers between windows stripping any decorative architectural elements and turning the windows into large, spare, white-vinyl-lined spaces where mannequins and a few select props would be the star. He also dabbled in interior design during this period, designing the penthouse apartment for Bonwit's board chairman John Schumacher. By 1978, he was heading his own visual display company, Colin Birch Associates, where he designed other interiors, events, and displays for clients such as Estee Lauder, Bonwit Teller's (and then Bloomingdale's) president Cal Ruttenstein, and a 25th anniversary celebration of the Missoni brand in Milan. He joined Bloomingdale's as vice president of visual presentation in 1981. Birch passed away at the age of 38 on the island of St. Martin.

Full Extent

0.45 Linear Feet (One document box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Existence and Location of Originals

The Library of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Department of Special Collections and FIT Archive, 27th St. at 7th Ave., NY, NY , USA, 10001

General

In 1990, friends of Colin Birch, the display window artist at Bloomingdale’s for many years, endowed funds to maintain FIT’s display window on Seventh Avenue, now to be known as the Colin Birch Memorial Window. This window and its ever-changing displays by Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design students acts as a living memorial to Mr. Birch.

Processing Information

The provenance of this collection is unknown; items were left in order in the folders they were found in, which may or may not have been Birch's original order.