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]

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] Her sources of inspiration expanded to music and clubs.[3] 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.[4]

Rootstein Hopkins Foundation

In 1990, Rootstein and her husband Rick Hopkins set up the Rootstein Hopkins Foundation to assist young artists and designers.[5] The mannequin business was sold in 1991 to Japanese mannequin manufacturer, Yoshichu who had been a long time collaborator of Adel's[6].They continued to grow the business and release collections that stayed true to Adel's founding principles. 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. 1 2 3 4 "Rootstein - the World's Leading Mannequin Designer". Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
  3. ↑ "Rootstein: Adel Rootstein's early days - History / About / Early Days". www.rootstein.com. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  4. ↑ 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.'
  5. ↑ Rootstein Hopkins Foundation, British Museum website. Archived 20 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 21 June 2009.
  6. ↑ "Rootstein: Adel Rootstein's early days - History / About / Early Days". www.rootstein.com. Retrieved 2 August 2023.


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