Cornelia James (glovemaker)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Cornelia James
Vienna Academy of Fine Arts
OccupationGlovemaker
Known forFounded Cornelia James
SpouseJack James
ChildrenPeter James
Genevieve Lawson

Cornelia James (

Royal Warrant
.

Early life

Cornelia Katz was born on 11 March 1917,[1] in Vienna, Austria, the eldest of seven children of a family who ran a chain of grocery shops and a cold storage business.[2]

Katz studied fashion design at the

Vienna Academy of Fine Arts before leaving Vienna in 1939[3] for Paris, and then London, with "a suitcase full of the coloured leather".[3]

Career

She arrived in London as a refugee but soon set up a business making

Philip Mountbatten.[4] James additionally made several pairs for the Princess's trousseau, beginning her lifelong association with the British royal family.[3] In 1948, she became known as "the Colour Queen of England" after launching her leather gloves range in 100 different shades.[1]

Cornelia James gloves box

Her first workshop was on Davigdor Road in Hove, near

Royal Warrant of Appointment holders in 1979,[2][5] and subsequently operated as the Queen's official glovemaker.[6]

Personal life

After emigrating from Austria, she originally hoped to get a

United States visa, but subsequently met Jack Burnett James and married him six weeks later, in 1940 (despite the fact that she had been engaged before leaving Vienna.) [1][2] Their son Peter James (b. 1948) is a best-selling writer of crime fiction. Their daughter, Genevieve James Lawson, runs "Cornelia James".[6][7] James had been an active supporter of hospices and other charities throughout her time in Sussex.[1][2]

Death

Cornelia James died at Martlets Hospice in Hove, Sussex, England, on 10 December 1999.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Stapleton, Gwen (20 December 1999). "Obituary: Cornelia James". The Independent. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Middleton, Judy (2002). The Encyclopaedia of Hove & Portslade. Vol. 8. Brighton: Brighton & Hove Libraries. p. 9.
  3. ^ a b c d e Fowler, Susanne (23 November 2014). "Gloves Fit for a Queen, With Hands-On Craftsmanship". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Cornelia James, About Us". Corneliajames.com. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Cornelia James Ltd | Royal Warrant Holders Association". Royalwarrant.org. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  6. ^ a b Rainey, Sarah (16 May 2012). "Royal glove-maker: 'Those gloves will take a beating'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  7. ^ Danny Scott, Me and my motor: Peter James, bestselling crime novelist, Driving.co.uk, 17 August 2017

External links

Official website