The LEON LEVIN Story

At the height of the depression in a workshop on New York's lower East Side, Leon Levin opened a small manufacturing shop dedicated to crafting quality ladies fashions. In 1931, he registered the 'Leon Levin' trademark and over the next several decades built a loyal following and legacy for producing exceptional womens apparel.

Ladies sportswear was breaking new ground as trousers and shorts became socially acceptable and wardrobe favorites. Leon Levin was at the front of this new trend establishing a reputation for quality and consistency that is still running strong 80 years later. Imported linen from Ireland and England hit the American fashion scene in 1939. Again, Leon Levin was in front of the trend and presented his customers with a rainbow of bright spring colored ensembles that were featured in all the leading Fifth Avenue department stores. One prominent retailer devoted an entire New York City block of windows to an exclusive presentation of the Leon Levin linen collection.

Fast-forward to 1960. Women began to play golf in large numbers which led to the development of the famous Leon Levin "Q" skirt or "skort" which offered the freedom of shorts and soft lines of a skirt. Leon Levin, along with his designer Lulu Roody, developed the skorts with an element of whimsy and fun. Leon Levin prominently promoted Lulu's creations with clever illustrated advertisements in the New Yorker and other regional publications. The Q-skirt became an immediate favorite on the Ladies Professional Golf Tour.

The now classic Leon Levin polo shirt was first introduced in the 1970's and is referred to as the wardrobe essential by many. These shirts are specially tailored with fine menswear construction in the collar, placket and cuffs. The unique craftsmanship gives these shirts a beautiful, tailored and crisp appearance. All of us at Leon Levin salute our founder, his work ethic and wonderful legacy. We do things much the same today as Mr. Levin did back in the early 30's. Our mission is to make the finest quality women's clothing and treat our customers well. We design a classic ready-to-wear collection and make it better than anyone else. In fact, we make a knit shirt and cardigan sweater so well that our customers have been coming back for 80 years.


 

A Look Back at our Past

Do you remember these vintage Leon Levin ads?