Martin Miller, a well known fixture within the attire business who brokered a deal between Dillard’s Division Shops and the Daniel Cremieux model, died March 21 at his residence in Palm Seashore, Fla. He would have turned 95 on April 9.
Miller was not sick however had been rehabilitating from a neck damage, in line with his daughters, Darcy Miller and Jenny Symonds.
Miller was born in New York Metropolis, the son of the founding father of Miller Brothers Hat Firm. He attended MIT and Harvard Enterprise Faculty earlier than becoming a member of the household enterprise, the place he labored for 15 years. “Loads of his enterprise college buddies went to Wall Avenue and he went into the household hat enterprise,” Darcy Miller stated.
In 1970, when he realized that individuals had been now not sporting hats like they used to, he invested $750,000 to create RPM Trend, a younger males’s slacks firm, the place he served as president. He bought that enterprise to Palm Seashore Co. a number of years later, then repurchased it in 1975. In 1986, he began one other slacks firm, Baxter Worldwide Ltd., a three way partnership with Christopher Cheng, the proprietor of Hong Kong-based Wing Tai Group. That enterprise closed after a number of years when Cheng was now not excited by persevering with the corporate.
After that, his daughters stated, Miller continued to be energetic within the vogue business. He served as managing associate of the Belvedere Fund, an funding agency, and head of the consulting agency Terbell Group Inc.
It was throughout these years that he grew to become acquainted with Daniel Crémieux. He had been visiting Saint-Tropez and went into the Cremieux retailer in that resort city. He was impressed with the gathering, discovered the designer and requested if he bought within the U.S. When he was instructed that there was no American distribution, he promised to vary that.
In 2000, Miller orchestrated the deal to deliver the French model to Dillard’s the place it continues to be one of many firm’s hottest males’s labels.
Miller served as a marketing consultant to the designer within the U.S., Canada and Asia and launched the label and Crémieux’s son Stéphane to Dillard’s chief government officer, Invoice Dillard 2nd. “He favored the merchandise, favored the expertise and favored that [Crémieux] was a paratrooper,” Miller stated when the gathering launched. “You don’t discover many designers who had been paratroopers.” The Dillard’s CEO tapped his son, Invoice Dillard 3rd, to supervise the event of the road within the U.S.
“We first met Marty when he launched us to Daniel and Stéphane Crémieux,” stated Invoice Dillard third. “He heard we had been on the lookout for a partnership with a European males’s model — form of like Nordstrom with Façonnable. He all the time stored his ear to the bottom and was savvy. We’ve got constructed an awesome enterprise and friendship via the years and Marty was a giant half. All of us discovered lots from his many years of expertise. He was all the time prepared to assist and was so obsessed with making nice product. There aren’t many left like Marty. We’ll miss him and our hearts exit to his daughters and their households.”
Upon listening to of Miller’s passing, Daniel Crémieux stated: “I’m very, very unhappy right this moment by the lack of Martin. If we’re within the USA right this moment, it is because he discovered our potential when he was visiting our Saint-Tropez store along with his spouse Madge. He was actually charismatic. My spouse Gen and I keep in mind nice instances spent collectively discussing the American market. I misplaced a pal.”
Stéphane Crémieux and Martin Miller
George Chinsee
His son, Stéphane Crémieux, added: “It is rather unhappy information. Nobody is aware of what number of cellphone calls day-after-day Martin and I had. Throughout these years, he has been my coach, my mentor as a way to perceive the American market and tradition. Once I moved to New York we met virtually each two days and he favored the truth that our new workplace was throughout from their residence. I already miss our cellphone calls and I’m certain he seems at what we’re doing from the place he’s now.”
His daughters stated regardless of his age, Miller by no means really retired and continued to talk to Stéphane Crémieux continuously. “But it surely was with new concepts,” Symonds stated, “all the time asking what they might do higher.”
He was often known as a dapper dresser along with his tortoiseshell glasses, tasseled loafers and impeccably tailor-made darkish fits. He additionally was a fixture at prime eating places around the globe, the place he and his spouse Madge, who died in 2023, would dine almost each evening, alone or with buddies or associates. Till his neck damage, he continued to exit to dinner each evening at Sant Ambroeus, Colette and different well-known eating places. His daughters additionally identified how shut he was along with his sons-in-law and grandchildren.
“He was form to everybody,” stated Symonds. “He made you’re feeling particular. That was his superpower.” Her sister added: “He was a real gentleman. It’s the top of an period.”
Along with his daughters, he’s survived by his sons-in-law Andy Nussbaum and Geoff Symonds and 6 grandchildren.
A celebration of life might be held on March 30 at 11 a.m., at Central Synagogue in New York Metropolis. Non-public burial will observe. The households will sit shiva on Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to eight:30 p.m. and Monday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., on the Nussbaum residence, 850 Park Avenue in New York.
