Adel Rootstein
Adel Rootstein (1930 – 20 September 1992) was a British mannequin designer responsible for premium designs that are sold worldwide.
Early life
Rootstein was born in Warmbaths, South Africa in 1930. She married the industrial designer Richard Hopkins.[1] Rootstein started by making window displays, which gave her an understanding of "the void that had existed between fashion coverage in the international media & what actually happened in windows."[2][full citation needed][non-primary source needed]
Mannequins
Rootstein started making mannequins in the kitchen of her basement flat in Earls Court in 1956.[2] She first hired sculptor John Taylor and model Imogen for her first mannequin, placed in a reclining position.[2] This was the start of her first collection, called "GoGo".[2][non-primary source needed] Rootstein has been called the "Rolls Royce" of mannequin makers, and later used well-known singers and actresses as models for her mannequins; Cher, Joan Collins and Twiggy among them.[3]
Rootstein Hopkins Foundation
In 1990, Rootstein and her husband Rick Hopkins set up the Rootstein Hopkins Foundation to assist young artists and designers.[4] The mannequin business was sold in 1991 and Rootstein died in London on 20 September 1992.
References
- ^ Obituary: Adel Rootstein, 24 September 1992 Archived 18 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The Independent. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Rootstein - the World's Leading Mannequin Designer". Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
- ^ Carol McKinley (30 December 2019). "Sculptors at a Lafayette mannequin factory are shaping more realistic body types for stores worldwide". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
'If Talaric is the Henry Ford [of mannequin makers], Rootstein is the Rolls Royce,' Townsend says. 'Her older mannequins are collector's items … she's the one who started designing mannequins after celebrity models. Like Joan Collins, Cher and Twiggy.'
- ^ Rootstein Hopkins Foundation, British Museum website. Archived 20 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 June 2009.
External links
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