Although most of us are avid Lilly shoppers and can draw our sorority print from memory, I would bet that not many of us know the history of the Lilly Pulitzer brand.
Thanks to the official Lilly Pulitzer website, I have been able to find out exactly how Lilly began her trademark brand.
Lilly Pulitzer was born Lillian Lee McKim to socialite parents in New York in 1931. When she was 21 years old, she eloped with husband Peter Pulitzer to the sunny beaches of Palm Beach, FL. Peter owned several citrus groves, so Lilly decided to open up a juice stand.
One day, she got juice stains on her solid color clothing and had no way to disguise them. It was then that she created her signature, colorfully printed shift dress out of floral kitchen curtains. Her brand gained huge popularity once Jackie Kennedy was spotted wearing Lilly’s shift dress on a LIFE magazine cover.
However, in 1984, Lilly decided that she was not having as much fun as she originally hoped. She retired and closed down the entire line. In 1993, Sugartown Worldwide Inc. bought the rights to the company. Lilly was still involved, but she worked as a creative director rather than dealing with the day-to-day administration tasks.
Even though the Lilly Pulitzer brand is technically a brand new company after Sugartown Worldwide bought it, the original prints and products have kept their signature tropical colors and whimsical feel.
Today, Lilly Pulitzer is a nationwide brand that can be recognized instantly by its color patterns. Fans of Lilly include Kate Spade, Tory Burch and Ralph Lauren. However, Lilly might be most popular with sorority women in the United States. It is impossible to attend a philanthropy event, log onto TSM or even walk to class without seeing some splash of Lilly Pulitzer.
Plus, with the addition of her sorority print line, Lilly has expanded to meet her biggest customers’ growing needs. She is also launching a brand new state print with some of the winning states including Florida and Georgia. It is safe to say that Lilly Pulitzer is a brand that is here to stay. It will continue to be the brand our mothers wore, we worship and our children will play in for years to come.
