Well, like many of us, Amelia Earhart was probably not at the top of your list of potential celebrities when trying to answer this question. Most people know Amelia Earhart for her historical achievement on May 20, 1932, of becoming the first woman to complete a solo flight across the Atlantic and later her mysterious disappearance in 1937. However, in her own time she was already quite famous before this for being the sixteenth woman in the world to ever receive a pilot’s license and for being the first woman to complete a transcontinental flight. Although Earhart was not the pilot of that plane, it was this particular accomplishment which propelled her into the spotlight. 

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Now, the story takes an unexpected twist…

     Despite Earhart’s amazing aviation feats, (not only for women, but for everyone) the cost of flying was sky high. The attention she received from her previous flights combined with her own passion further fueled her dream to become the first to complete the daunting journey of a world tour by flight. So, as a way to help fund her expedition she turned to an old hobby and skill that she had learned as a teen girl— sewing. As one of the first young women to start flying in a field that was dominated by men, Earhart would make her own custom flight suits that were tailored to her body shape. With the help of her husband, Earhart launched her very own fashion line in 1933 at the R.H Macy & Co. located in New York City. 

     The line had 25 outfits including: dresses, skirts, tops, pants, wool coats, trench coats, and outerwear. One personalized feature of the brand was the label of her signature in black with a small red plane streaking through the letters. Earhart also incorporated some more subtle hints to her love of all things aviation into her designs such as propeller buttons and parachute silk fabrics. For the most part, aside from her aviation details, the fashion line followed the general trends of the era and were not altogether unique.

     However, one distinctive idea Earhart had that changed women’s fashion thereon out was the concept of selling clothing as matching “separates” rather than a complete set. For example, if a woman wanted a two-piece dress suit she would need to buy them together then have it tailored later to fit her particular body. Although Earhart’s concept of “separates” meant that women could purchase different sizes of the same set, or she could even mix-and-match for more customizable options. Another innovation of hers was women’s shirts with longer shirttails (similar to men’s styles of the time) to prevent the shirts from coming untucked during activities and everyday life. Earhart prided herself on her practical designs and wished to “... create beautiful, affordable clothing for women at prices that didn't reach new altitudes”. 

     Sadly for Earhart, being up in the clouds may have left her a bit out of touch with her potential customers as the prices of her fashion line were still quite expensive. The price range for her fashion line in 1933 was around $30-$55, which would be about $767-$1,383 today. During a time in which everyone was struggling because of the economic effects of the Great Depression, Amelia Earhart Fashions never really took off with the public and was pulled from shelves only a year later. However, for those who could not afford the ready-made garments they could find sewing patterns of Earhart’s designs featured in the August 1934 publication of the Women’s Home Companion Magazine. 

     Despite her fashion line not taking off, Earhart herself remained in fashion and was even named one of the “10 Best Dressed Women” in 1934 by the Fashion Designers of America. She also released a luggage brand in the same year as her fashion line which happened to be much more successful. It then became even more popular after her disappearance, until finally being discontinued from the market sometime in the 1960s. Today, it is unknown where most of Amelia Earhart Fashions and her personal clothing items have ended up, and only a select few pieces have made it to a museum. Most of the pieces from both collections can be found at the Henry Form Museum of Innovation.