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Bridal magnate and Holocaust survivor Hedda Kleinfeld-Schatter has tragically passed away at the age of 99, after completely redefining the wedding dress industry.
Hedda co-founded the Kleinfeld Bridal Empire in 1941, which has become one of the largest wedding dress companies on the planet—and now helps tens of thousands of women find the perfect dress for their big day every year.
Her massive success is mostly attributed to Hedda, who would spend hours scouring showrooms to find new dresses to show in the store and personally approach top designers and encourage them to start making wedding dresses, WWD mentioned.
Hedda’s fierce determination also turned wedding dress shopping into an experience we all know today.
Bridal magnate and Holocaust survivor Hedda Kleinfeld-Schatter dies tragically at age 99, after completely redefining the wedding dress industry
Hedda co-founded the Kleinfeld Bridal Empire in 1941, which later became one of the largest wedding dress companies on the planet.
Kleinfeld is famous as the location for the popular TLC show Say Yes to the Dress – which documents the many women searching for the perfect wedding dress in store
“The appointment business is founded with the customer experience at the forefront and the staff is trained to care for shoppers like the princesses they envision,” said the outlet.
Playing on the glamorous side of wedding dress shopping, Kleinfeld has fostered customer service under this critical eye, whisking individual brides into their dressing rooms, where wedding consultants suggest and retrieve immaculate show dresses and then veils and headpieces from an elaborate wrapper. Screen glass, enlist machinists to narrow the waistline and, if necessary, call in Hedda for an expert opinion.
Kleinfeld is also famous as the location for the popular TLC show Say Yes to the Dress – which documents the many women searching for the perfect wedding gown in store.
Born in Vienna in 1924, Hedda and her family were forced to flee their home in Austria in 1939 during World War II after her father and uncle were interned in Dachau.
They “miraculously escaped the Holocaust” and found refuge in Cuba. But a year later, they had to move again, and decided to head to America, eventually settling in Brooklyn.
“Being a Holocaust survivor would develop a strong sense of resilience and optimism that echoed through her nearly century-long life,” WWD said.
Her father, Isador, went on to open a fur shop in their neighborhood. He hired Hedda’s future husband, Jacques Schachter, and the two soon fell in love.
Together, they acquired the only storefront store in Brooklyn, New York, from Isadore in 1941, and decided to turn it into a place selling gowns for “special occasions.”
Its massive success is mostly attributed to Hedda (seen in 2013), who will spend hours scouring showrooms and personally communicate with top designers, according to WWD.
Hedda’s fierce determination also turned wedding dress shopping into an experience we all know today
The outlet said, “The appointment business is founded with customer experience at the forefront and the staff is trained to take care of shoppers like princesses.”
In 1979, after nearly 20 years in the business, the couple decided it was time to focus primarily on wedding dresses—and Hedda took the mission of helping women find what to wear to their wedding very seriously.
“You make a heroine on stage,” she told WWD in a 1985 interview. The bride is shown.
Born in Vienna, Hedda and her family were forced to flee their home in Austria in 1939 during World War II, finding refuge in Cuba. A customer is seen entering Kleinfeld
It has to be beautifully assembled, and we have to adjust and guide the customer, and be able to photograph it under a chandelier or in a church. She didn’t just have to look good in the fitting room mirrors.
Grooms Council He stated in her memorial, “Hedda was a legend because she took the sleepy, respectable field of marital adornment and created a fashion-driven world of dreams.”
By 1990, the 30,000-square-foot store was bringing in $20 million a year, but in 1991, the couple chose to sell the store to businessman Michel Zelnick, and nine years later, it was bought by its current owners, Mara Urschel, Ronnie Rothstein and Wayne Rogers.
And although Hedda no longer owned the bridal shop after that, the tone that set it continued within him for many years to come—eventually migrating to other bridal boutiques.
“She really built Kleinfeld not only as an iconic name but left an incredible mark on the entire industry with her vision,” Mara gushed to WWD.
When she saw that the wedding dress industry was safe, she started visiting every designer in the US and all over the world to find new dresses which created the beginning of how we see the wedding dress industry today with so many designers and so many costumes. that appeal to many different types of brides.
Hedda and her husband, Jack, acquired the only store in Brooklyn, New York, from Isadore in 1941, and decided to turn it into a place selling “special occasion” dresses.
In 1979, after nearly 20 years in the business, the couple decided it was time to focus primarily on wedding dresses.
By 1990, the 30,000-square-foot store was bringing in $20 million a year, but the couple chose to sell the store to the current owners, Mara Urshel, Ronnie Rothstein, and Wayne Rogers.
In 2005, Kleinfeld moved to its current location on 20th Street in Manhattan—a 35,000-square-foot store with 28 dressing rooms, 17 fitting rooms, and 1,500 designer dresses.
Kleinfeld’s impeccable customer service and selection created a “captive audience,” explained one of the wedding dress designers, Mark Ingram.
He added, ‘There was no way the bride was going to leave there without buying a dress.
“Having an owner and manager on site, as it were, choosing the dresses makes a huge difference in how the shop is perceived and run. This is especially true at weddings because it’s so practical and so personal.”
A year later, say yes to the dress that premiered. The show was so popular, it has now run for 19 seasons
Hedda and Jack were such powerhouses in the industry that, when they were the honest owners of Kleinfeld in the 1990s, their presence was always needed.
She was a warm, petite, pretty lady. In all humility, you would never know she was such a powerful icon in the industry.
In 2005, Kleinfeld moved to its current location on 20th Street in Manhattan—a 35,000-square-foot store with 28 dressing rooms, 17 fitting rooms, 1,500 designer dresses, and a staff of 250 employees.
A year later, say yes to the dress that premiered. The show was so popular, it has now run for 19 seasons.
Mara, Kleinfeld’s co-owner, confirmed the sad news of Hedda’s death to WW, revealing that she died Wednesday at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, the day after she underwent surgery on her colon.
While her husband passed away in 2008, Hedda is remembered by her two sons, Ronald and Robert.
Bridal magnate Hedda Kleinfeld dies at age 99-80 after launching bridal boutique Kleinfeld