Style Starts Small
Style Starts Small
The Designer Who Set the Standard for Children's Fashion.
80 years of designing chic, classic clothing your children will want pass down for generations.
Florence Eiseman redefined children's clothing with garments that embodied the classic whimsy & innocence of childhood. She elevated childrenswear into the realm of high fashion through her focus on quality, comfort, and style. She believed children to look like children, designing iconic pieces to be cherished, lived in, and handed down. Children are exceptional, and their clothes should be, too.
From her first sale of girls' pinafores in 1945
Florence Eiseman redefined children's fashion. What began as a hobby—sewing clothing for her children at home—grew into a fashion line that would set the standard for children's fashion the world over.
When the trend was to dress children like small adults, Florence had a different vision. She designed clothing that celebrated childhood.
Florence dressed girls up in flattering A-line dresses that flowed away from the body, giving them room to run, jump, and play...in other words, to be children. She designed shortalls, jumpers, and more in styles that were childlike, distinct, and functional. A child could be a child in an Eiseman.
Her designs were iconic—pairing bold primary colors with whimsical appliqués that celebrated a playful, creative child. She chose high-quality imported fabrics and insisted on expert craftsmanship. Her commitment to durability in design is the reason Florence Eiseman garments are so often handed down, not just from sibling to sibling, but from generation to generation.
brother-sister "go-togethers"
Florence designed clothing with a focus on family. Her coordinated brother-sister "go-togethers" were a favorite. Staying true to her aesthetic of clean lines, bold colors, and charming details, Florence designed matching sets for boys and girls that reflected sweetness, innocence, and whimsy that is unique to childhood.
Florence Eiseman has grown from a boutique brand of garments hand-sewn in Florence's own home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to the longest-running children's fashion line in the United States. The line has been worn by the children of notables such as Elizabeth Taylor, John F. and Jackie Kennedy, Debbie Reynolds, Princess Grace of Monaco, and Beyoncé & Jay Z.
Functional Fashions
In 1963, Florence partnered with Helen Cookman, of the Clothing Research and Development Foundation, under her "Functional Fashions" line—a fashion line meant to provide quality, stylish, ready-to-wear clothing for people with disabilities. Under the Functional Fashions label, Florence Eiseman created the first commercially available, ready-to-wear high-end fashions for children with disabilities.
Forefront of Fashion
By 1955, she was awarded the prestigious Neiman Marcus Fashion Award, becoming the first children’s fashion designer ever to win and placing her in the company of style icons such as Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, and Princess Grace of Monaco.
Major Art Retrospectives
In 1984, at the age of 85, Florence Eiseman became the first children's fashion designer ever honored in a major museum retrospective, when an exhibition of her career was hosted by the Denver Art Museum. A year later, the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Presidential Flare
In 2009, Florence Eiseman had the honor to provide custom-made clothing to be the official baby gifts from President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama during his presidency.
Florence Eiseman is the only children's clothing brand to have had three art retrospectives. Most recently, the Museum of Wisconsin Art hosted Florence Eiseman: Designing Childhood for the American Century, a cultural history of the Eiseman look from 1945 to the modern day, in 2017.
A video synopsis of the exhibit and the full exhibition catalogue, featuring iconic garments, are available here
A family business still today, Florence Eiseman has nurtured a legacy of quality, comfort, and style. Our designs follow the clean lines, bright colors, and simple, charming details that have defined the Florence Eiseman aesthetic for over eighty years.
The finest fabrics, impeccable craftsmanship, and care for the littlest detail ensure our garments last till after they're outgrown. Our clothes are meant to be loved and lived in, from one generation to the next.