Nancye Radmin
Born
Nancye Jo Bullard

August 4, 1938
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
DiedDecember 8, 2020(2020-12-08) (aged 82)
Lakeland, Florida, United States
OccupationBusinesswoman

Nancye Radmin (August 4, 1938 – December 8, 2020), born Nancye Jo Bullard, was an American businesswoman, owner of The Forgotten Woman, a national chain of shops for plus-size clothing.

Early life

Nancye Jo Bullard was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Cochran, Georgia, the daughter of Joe Dykes Bullard Jr. and Jane Johnson Bullard. Her parents had a peanut, pecan, and cotton farm; her mother was a registered nurse. Bullard attended but did not graduate from Middle Georgia College.[1][2]

Career

Bullard moved to New York City in the 1960s, and was a secretary before she married. In 1977, Radmin opened The Forgotten Woman boutique on the Upper East Side, to sell high-end designer clothing[3] in larger women's sizes,[4][5] including lingerie, accessories, jewelry, and shoes.[6] "They had all these myths that fat ladies don’t buy expensive clothes", Radmin said in a 1988 interview. "Well, they do. And a lot of ’em".[7] The chain extended to 25 shops across the United States by 1991,[8][9] including locations in suburban Detroit,[10] West Palm Beach[11] and on Rodeo Drive.[12] Her business counted celebrities including Oprah Winfrey among its clientele.[13] In 1990, Savvy magazine ranked The Forgotten Woman among the top 60 American businesses owned and run by women.[14]

In 1991 Radmin stepped down as president of the company,[15] and in 1993, she left the company.[16] The chain folded in 1998.[12] Radmin also worked with Vogue Patterns on a line of plus-sized patterns.[7]

Personal life

Nancye Jo Bullard, raised a Southern Baptist, converted to Judaism when she married widower Mack Radmin, a meat wholesaler, in 1968.[1][7] She had two sons, Brett and William. She was widowed when Mack Radmin died in 2006;[17] she died in 2020, aged 82, in Lakeland, Florida.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Meltzer, Marisa (2020-12-25). "Nancye Radmin, Pioneer of Plus-Size Fashion, Is Dead at 82". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  2. ↑ Feinberg, Samuel (October 10, 1990). "From Where I Sit: Birth Pangs of a Large-Size Chain". WWD. 160: 31 – via ProQuest.
  3. ↑ Feinberg, Samuel (October 12, 1990). "From Where I Sit: Radmin Gaining Name Designers For Large Women". WWD. 160: 12 – via ProQuest.
  4. ↑ Pauley, Gay (1981-03-16). "Fashionable Fatties? Yes Ma'am". The Daily News. p. 19. Retrieved 2021-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Abraham, Molly (1982-04-22). "Large Women Make Big Play for Fashion". Detroit Free Press. p. 23. Retrieved 2021-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Nancye Radmin to be Honored". WWD. 159: 125. May 8, 1990 – via ProQuest.
  7. 1 2 3 Johnson, Bonnie; Powell, Lee (April 25, 1988). "Nancye Radmin Hits It Big by Making Outsized Clothes Look in". People. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  8. ↑ "Big Women, Big Profits". Newsweek. 1991-02-24. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  9. ↑ Louie, Elaine (1991-03-24). "Smiling In My Size 14". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  10. ↑ Muller, Joann (1990-09-06). "Forgotten Fashion". Detroit Free Press. p. 27. Retrieved 2021-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Grantham, Loretta (1991-03-07). "Chic at Any Size". The Palm Beach Post. p. 224. Retrieved 2021-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 Hagerty, James R. (2021-01-07). "Entrepreneur Sold High Fashion in Plus Sizes at Forgotten Woman Stores". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  13. ↑ Turk, Rose-Marie (1989-12-29). "Remembering Forgotten Women". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  14. ↑ Burton, Katherine (1990-10-23). "60 With Savvy". Daily News. p. 313. Retrieved 2021-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Ozzard, Janet (April 14, 1993). "The Forgotten Woman Shapes Up". Women's Wear Daily. 165: 12 – via ProQuest.
  16. ↑ Moin, David (1997-08-22). "The Forgotten Woman Set to Rekindle its Niche". WWD. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  17. ↑ "Mack Radmin Obituary". New York Times (via Legacy). December 28, 2006. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
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