 | |
| Industry | clothing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1986; 38 years ago (1986) in Huntington Beach, California, US |
| Founders | Jim Talaric, Jim Barber |
| Headquarters | Lafayette, Colorado, US |
| Products | mannequins |
| Number of employees | 110 (2006) |
| Parent | Noa Brands Global |
| Website | www |
Fusion Specialties is an American company and manufacturer of mannequins.
Founded in Huntington Beach, California in 1986 by Jim Talaric and Jim Barber, the company pioneered new methods of manufacture using polymers (an urethane elastomer) rather than fiberglass, as well as the 2010s trend to begin having lines of fuller-figured and more natural body sizes. Talaric is considered a "trendsetter in manufacturing and durability" of mannequins, who followed in the footsteps of Adel Rootstein, an earlier pioneer in mannequin manufacturing. Judy Townsend, a collector and broker of antique mannequins, has called Talaric "the Henry Ford" of mannequin manufacturing; while "Rootstein is the Rolls-Royce".
The company won their first big retail client, The Limited, in 1990. The company moved from California to Colorado in 1991, at a time that it employed 35 people. By 2006, the company was producing more than 50,000 mannequins per year, with 110 employees, and their clients included Victoria's Secret, Banana Republic, REI, Chico's, The Gap, and Old Navy. Retail industry DDI Magazine said that, "If they're not the largest , they're certainly one of the largest."
In 2007, the company was acquired by private equity firm Blue Sage Capital of Austin, Texas.
As of 2019, the company makes a variety of custom-designed mannequins to fit the particular clothing product lines of designers and stores, a practice that has substantially reduced costs for large department stores, as well as played a role in the industry changes that no longer require the specialty mannequin dresser job. It employs several fine-art trained artists as sculptors to make the many custom models they produce for various clothing product retailers. The company is currently owned by "Noa Brands Global, a holding company headquartered in Barcelona, Spain." The company manufactures in China, Mexico and Westminster, Colorado.
References
- ^ Bob Mook (February 9, 2006). "Making a mark with mannequins". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
- ^ Carol McKinley (December 30, 2019). "Sculptors at a Lafayette mannequin factory are shaping more realistic body types for stores worldwide". The Colorado Sun. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
Talaric started a mannequin revolution. He figured out a way to make them cheaper, faster and better by replacing the old models, which were made with fragile fiberglass, with a stronger plastic material called urethane elastomer, a polymer that could be injected into a mold in seconds and spun by a giant machine at room temperature. The old fiberglass method required hand-application and had to be heated and chilled throughout the process.
- Lori Hawkins (December 14, 2012). "Austin private equity firm Blue Sage raises new $150 million fund". Austin Statesman. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
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