Edith Flagg facts for kids

Edith Flagg (born Faierstein; November 1, 1919 – August 13, 2014) was an amazing person. She was an Austrian-born American fashion designer, a smart businesswoman, and someone who loved to help others (a philanthropist).

She made history by being the first designer to bring polyester fabric to America for fashion. Later in her life, you might have seen her on the Bravo TV show Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles. She often appeared with her grandson, Josh Flagg.

Growing Up and Surviving War

Edith Flagg was born Edith Faierstein on November 1, 1919, in Vienna, Austria. Her family was Jewish. She grew up in Galați, Romania, where her dad was a photographer.

When she was 15, Edith went back to Vienna to study fashion. She lived in Austria during her teenage years. In 1938, when Hitler took over Austria, she had to escape. She fled to the Netherlands with her boyfriend, Hans Stein.

She married Hans Stein in the Netherlands in 1938. After Germany invaded the Netherlands, Edith decided to stay. She took on a new identity, pretending to be someone named Lydia Voskuilen. When she had her son, Michael, she hid him in a special hospital. Edith pretended to be a nurse so she could visit him. Sadly, Hans Stein was captured by the Germans. He was sent to Auschwitz and died in 1944.

After Hans died, Edith joined the Dutch underground resistance. This was a secret group fighting against the German occupation. There, she met her second husband, Erich Simon Flegenheimer. He later changed his name to Eric Flagg. Together, they helped save many lives during the war. Edith acted as a spy, gathering information from German soldiers.

After the war, Eric moved to the United States. Edith and Michael lived on a kibbutz in Palestine, which soon became Israel. Later, Edith and Michael joined Eric in the United States. Eric worked in New York, while Edith and Michael lived with Hans' parents in San Francisco. In 1949, Edith, Eric, and Michael all moved to Los Angeles.

A Career in Fashion

Edith started her career in New York in 1948 as a seamstress. She then moved into designing clothes. Later, in Los Angeles, she worked in the Garment District.

In 1956, she started her own clothing line called "Edith Flagg, Inc." She invested $2,000 of her own money. Her company made clothes in the United States from the 1950s until she retired in 2000. Her brand was known for its special knitwear that didn't wrinkle easily.

Edith Flagg was the first person to bring polyester fabric to the United States. She made it very popular. She found a type of polyester called Crimplene while on vacation in Switzerland in the 1960s. This fabric was made in England and had been used for parachutes and military uniforms during World War II.

Edith signed a special deal with DuPont to bring Crimplene to America. She helped make it famous under the name "polyester." She also imported another synthetic fabric called Dacron. Edith Flagg, Inc. grew from a successful dress company in Los Angeles. It became an international design house with offices in many cities, including New York, Chicago, and London. They even had a factory in Hong Kong.

Edith also wrote a weekly column called "By the Way" for California Apparel News and Women's Wear Daily. Later, she often appeared on the TV show Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles. She gave business advice to her grandson, Josh Flagg. When Josh was fourteen, he wrote a book about her life. It was called A Simple Girl: Stories My Grandmother Told Me. The book was published in 2009.

Helping Others

Edith Flagg was a big supporter of helping others. This is called philanthropy. She gave money to the United Jewish Welfare Fund, which is a Jewish non-profit group. She also supported the City of Hope, a hospital in California.

Edith retired from fashion in 2000 to spend more time on her philanthropy. She focused on helping Jewish causes and medical research. She and her husband were also board members at City of Hope. The money earned from her biography, A Simple Girl, was given to the Jewish Federation. Edith and her husband received many awards for their work. These awards came from groups like the National Conference of Christians and Jews and The United Jewish Welfare Fund.

Her Life at Home

Edith Flagg was very good with languages. She spoke Yiddish, Hebrew, Romanian, English, French, German, and Dutch. She lived in a fancy apartment in The Century Towers in Los Angeles. She and her husband bought it in 1976 from famous comedian Jack Benny. It was the most expensive apartment sold in Los Angeles at that time.

Her Passing

Edith Flagg passed away on August 13, 2014, in her Los Angeles apartment. She was 94 years old. She was buried at the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery. This is a Jewish cemetery in Culver City, California. A reception was held at the Hillcrest Country Club.