Cooper Hewitt says...
H.R. Mallinson & Company, one of the finest manufacturers of American silk, began operations under the direction of two former salesmen who had no prior experience in silk production or mill operations. Moses Charles Migel (American, 1867–1958) was born in Houston, Texas and had established himself in the early 1890s as a silk representative for Pelgram & Meyer, a Paterson, New Jersey silk manufacturer. Hiram Royal Mallinson (American, 1871–1931), born in Utica, New York, worked as a boy for a local dry goods store. In his teens, Mallinson went to work for the Detroit branch of a Utica dry goods business, John A. Roberts & Company. It was in Detroit that Mallinson met Migel, who convinced him that the silk business held the promise of future success. Migel’s letter of introduction helped Mallinson get his sales job at Pelgram & Meyer. Despite a severe economic downturn in the early 1890s, Mallinson become the top salesmen for the firm. By 1895, Migel had started his own silk business in New York with G.J. Newitter (American, n.d.), and Mallinson joined their sales department in 1897. By 1900, after the departure of Newitter, the company was renamed M.C. Migel with H.R. Mallinson as sales director.
Armed with their knowledge of silk selling in the United States, the two men quickly understood that a high-end luxury product aimed at an upper class market would yield the best return on investment. This meant their product would need to appeal to a customer base that saw Europe as the source for high quality and the latest styles. Concurrently, the emergence of marketing and advertising as a profession meant that the two men could successfully promote and position their company as a purveyor of fine American silks.
They concentrated on high-end, novelty silk fabrics and opened salesrooms to sell directly to retailers and dressmakers. Operations expanded and several experienced professionals were hired for production, advertising and management. By 1910, M.C. Migel & Company was a top tier silk manufacturer, on par with established firms like Cheney Brothers. H.R. Mallinson & Company was created in 1915, a few years following the retirement of M.C. Migel. The company continued to expand operations throughout the 1920s, opening a Paris office and adding a third mill in West Hoboken, NJ. Salesrooms opened in Chicago and the western region.
To help distinguish their products from others on the market, H.R. Mallinson & Company developed trade names for various products in their four fabric lines. Staple and sport silks were sold in high volume while novelties and prints helped generate excitement in the business community and fashion press. A large number of prints were produced each season using staples as the ground fabric. Most noteworthy among the trademarked products was Pussy Willow: a warp-faced plain weave that promised against wear and tear. It was one of Mallinson’s most successful products. The trade name was printed on the selvedge to help protect the company from copyists. Another product, Khaki-Kool, a sporting silk shantung, was another enduring staple created in 1915.
New, printed novelty fabrics were introduced each season after the success of Mexixe in 1914. Mexixe was groundbreaking for H.R. Mallinson because its design was influenced by Mexican, Aztec and American Indian art seen by company employees in New York museums. It also resonated as news of the Mexican Revolution circulated in the American news media. Its success led to other series influenced by American culture or current events. These efforts were supported by the fashion press as well as New York museums and department stores. The 1931 series, Colonial America, was Mallinson’s last series of printed novelties.
By the early 1930s, the Mallinson’s business model showed signs of weakness. The rise of synthetic fibers and middlemen in the form of fabric buyers supplanted earlier notions about the importance of an educated consumer base. Mallinson declared bankruptcy in 1936 and was reorganized under the control of various companies, finally becoming a division of Burlington Industries in 1952.
