11 Facts About Ben Zuckerman

Ben Zuckerman was a Romanian-born, American fashion designer, known particularly for his high-quality tailored coats and suits.

Ben Zuckerman made clothes for Jacqueline Kennedy while she was First Lady of the United States.

Ben Zuckerman was born in Romania on 29 July 1890, and immigrated along with his family when he was still a child.

The family settled in New Jersey, where Zuckerman left school, aged 15.

The young Ben Zuckerman started out as a floor sweeper for a dress factory, but built up his skills, until, aged 21, he was able to launch his first business in partnership with Joseph Hoffman.

Ben Zuckerman's head designer was a former boxer and gas-pump attendant, Harry Shacter, who was Zuckerman's partner personally as well as professionally.

Ben Zuckerman's work was described as looking like it had been made by couturiers such as Dior and Balenciaga.

The quality of Ben Zuckerman's clothing was noted by the poet Marianne Moore, who wrote a short poem about it that was engraved on an award from the Coat and Suit Board in 1963.

Ben Zuckerman won his first Coty Award in 1952, the Return Award in 1957, and the Hall of Fame Award in 1961.

Ben Zuckerman was a recipient of the Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1951, alongside the ceramicist Ernestine Cannon and the ready-to-wear designer Jane Derby.

Ben Zuckerman died at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, on August 9,1979.