Adel Rootstein

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Adel Rootstein (1930 – 20 September 1992) was a British mannequin designer responsible for premium designs that are sold worldwide.

Early life[]

Rootstein was born in Warmbaths, South Africa in 1930. She married the industrial designer Richard Hopkins.[1] Rootstein started by making window displays, which gave her an understanding of "the void that had existed between fashion coverage in the international media & what actually happened in windows."[2][full citation needed][non-primary source needed]

Mannequins[]

Rootstein started making mannequins in the kitchen of her basement flat in Earls Court in 1956.[2] She first hired sculptor John Taylor and model Imogen for her first mannequin, placed in a reclining position.[2] This was the start of her first collection, called "GoGo".[2][non-primary source needed] Rootstein has been called the "Rolls Royce" of mannequin makers, and later used well-known singers and actresses as models for her mannequins; Cher, Joan Collins and Twiggy among them.[3]

Rootstein Hopkins Foundation[]

In 1990, Rootstein and her husband Rick Hopkins set up the Rootstein Hopkins Foundation to assist young artists and designers.[4] The mannequin business was sold in 1991 and Rootstein died in London on 20 September 1992.

References[]

  1. ^ Obituary: Adel Rootstein, 24 September 1992 Archived 18 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The Independent. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Carol McKinley (30 December 2019). "Sculptors at a Lafayette mannequin factory are shaping more realistic body types for stores worldwide". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved 30 December 2019. 'If Talaric is the Henry Ford [of mannequin makers], Rootstein is the Rolls Royce,' Townsend says. 'Her older mannequins are collector’s items … she’s the one who started designing mannequins after celebrity models. Like Joan Collins, Cher and Twiggy.'
  4. ^ Rootstein Hopkins Foundation, British Museum website. Archived 20 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 June 2009.

External links[]


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