Who was Hattie Carnegie?
She was born Henrietta Kanengeiser in 1886 in Austria, emigrated with her family to New York and started her first job at the age of 15 in Macy’s Department store. She changed her name in her 20’s to Carnegie in tribute to Andrew Carnegie, the richest man in America and she wanted and planned to be just as successful. She was very good at her job and advised many women on how to dress and wanted to have a shop of her own. She quit the job and with a female friend opened her first shop in 1909 called “Carnegie-Ladies Hatter” in New York. They custom made dresses and hats. She never considered herself a fashion designer but a Fashion Editor. She wrote columns for ladies magazines and newspapers. She bought out her partner and became incorporated in 1919 and is considered to be one of the few female entrepreneurs and early fashion designers of the early 20th century. Donna Karan, Ralph Loren, etc. have a lot to thank her for as they copied her concepts. Movie stars, royalty and socialites
