Ellen Tracy

Ellen Tracy is an American company selling women's apparel, cosmetics, perfume, and decor. ^[1] It was founded as a clothing manufacturing company founded by Herbert Gallen in 1949.^[2]

Ellen Tracy

Founded	1949 in New York
Website	ellentracy.com

Previous to Ellen Tracy's cosmetic line, the brand partnered with Revlon to produce an Ellen Tracy perfume.^[3]

History

Founder Herbert Gallen had difficulty obtaining fabric due to World War II rationing. After acquiring some fabric from a friend, he began to manufacture blouses which he took to major department stores on Manhattan's 34th Street. He sold all of the sample blouses and started a clothing line using his wife's name, Betty Barr, for the label.^[4] Gallen opened a showroom on Third Avenue with financial backing from Mike Brewer, Gallen formed a new company in 1949 which he called Ellen Tracy.^[4] In 1962, he hired recent college graduate Linda Allard as his design assistant^[3] and within two years, she was named Director of Design. She remained with the company for more than 30 years. The company was acquired in 2002 by Liz Claiborne, Inc. and became a wholly owned subsidiary of that company.^[4] Ellen Tracy was acquired by Sequential Brands, who sold the company to GMA Group in 2021.^[5]

Advertising

Ellen Tracy has featured a variety of models throughout the company's history. In 1983, their ad campaign featured model Carol Alt and in 1987 it featured a young Cindy Crawford.^[4][6]

In 2010, Macy’s became the exclusive sportswear retailer for Ellen Tracy. The brand launched internationally in this year as well.^[7]