Henri Willis Bendel

Place: Vermillionville

Born: 1868

Death: 1936

Biography:

Henri Willis Bendel was an American businessman, fashion designer, and philanthropist who founded an upscale women's fashion company bearing his name in New York City, which remained in business until 2019. He was born on January 22, 1868, in Vermillionville, Louisiana, to a Jewish family. His father was from Austria and his mother was from Prussia. His father died when he was six years old, and his mother remarried to Benjamin Falk, a successful businessman in Lafayette. Henri graduated from St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, and converted to Christianity. He moved to New York City with his wife Blanche and established a millinery shop, which later became Henri Bendel, Inc. He was the first retailer to have its own fragrance, to offer in-store makeovers, and to stage its own fashion show. He is credited with developing the concession, or shop-within-a-shop merchandising concept that is in use in some department stores today. He died on March 22, 1936, in New York City.