In the English Tradition? Rima Model Gowns in the 1940s

In 1939, Leo and Greta Neumann established the fashion business ‘Rima Model Gowns’ at 8 St. George Street, Hannover Square, London. Within just a few years, Rima became one of London’s leading wholesale couture firms. The couple worked closely with established English textile mills and innovative modern émigré textile designers to produce their garments and were known internationally for their quintessentially ‘English’ garments with a twist.

The Neumanns’ success was achieved despite incredibly difficult circumstances. The couple, as Austrian Jewish émigrés, escaped Hitler’s regime in 1938 and faced many challenges upon arrival in England. Through garments and archival material, this paper recreates the remarkable story of one of London’s most significant fashion businesses of the 1940s and its founders.

Liz Tregenza is a lecturer in Cultural and Historical Studies at London College of Fashion and runs her own vintage business. She is the author of Wholesale Couture: London and Beyond, 1930-1970 (2023) and co-editor of Everyday Fashion: Interpreting British Clothing since 1600 (2023). She was awarded her PhD by the University of Brighton in 2018.

Image: Conker colour wool suit jacket by Rima made for export, 1941

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