"It all began in 1931, when Apparel Arts was founded as a men's fashion magazine for the clothing trade. Published in New York City, its purpose was to provide information on men's fashion to wholesale buyers and retail sellers, who in turn could then make recommendations to their customers. The elaborate quarterly contained actual samples of fabrics pasted within its pages; it cost $1.50 per copy, with an initial circulation was 7,500. Apparel Arts was so attractive that customers in stores frequently ran off with the copies. Sensing a market for such a product, the magazine's publishers decided to launch a men's fashion magazine for the general public. Thus, Esquire magazine (at 50 cents a copy) was born in 1933. Apparel Arts not only become the fashion bible for middle-class American men, it also spawned a magazine that has remained popular for more than 70 years."
1 comment:
Absolutely love these old illustrations by Laurence Fellows!
Best Regards,
Ulrich von B.
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