Martin Greenfield (1928–2024), tailor to the stars
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2 min readMartin Greenfield was a Holocaust survivor who became a prominent tailor specializing in dressing the elite, including six U.S. Presidents and such celebrities as Frank Sinatra (1915–1998), Shaquille O’Neal, Paul Newman (1925–2008), and Leonardo DiCaprio.
- Died:efbbbfMarch 20, 2024 (Who else died on March 20?)c2
- Details of death:efbbbfDied in Manhasset, New York, at the age of 95.
- We invite you to share condolencesefbbbffor Martin Greenfield in ourefbbbfGuest Book.c2
Martin Greenfielde28099s legacy
Born in a small village in what was once Czechoslovakia and is now part of Ukraine, Greenfield was rounded up by the Nazis as a teen and, along with his family, was forced into the Auschwitz concentration camp. Most of his family were murdered in the gas chambers, including his mother, grandparents, sisters, and infant brother. He survived, and in the process came to view clothing and the ability to sew as powerful forms of expression.
Greenfield arrived in the United States in 1947 at 19. After a brief time in Baltimore, he moved to New York City and began working for clothing manufacturer GGG Clothing. In the 1950s, General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890e28093 1969) became his first famous client. Many more would follow. Later, with GGG about to shut down, he bought the company in 1977, changing its name to Martin Greenfield Clothiers.
Over the years, Greenfield worked with a metaphorical laundry list of high-profile clients. These included an array of presidents, both future and sitting, including Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson (1908e280931973), Gerald Ford (1913e280932006), and Barack Obama. He tailored such athletes as LeBron James, Shaquille Oe28099Neal, Patrick Ewing, and Wayne Gretzky, as well as A-list actors like Paul Newman, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ben Affleck.
In addition to working with celebrity clients, Greenfield and his company tailored clothing for clothing lines like Brooks Brothers and Neiman Marcus, as well as designed suits for the HBO show e2809cBoardwalk Empire.e2809d In 2014, he wrote a memoir with Wynton Hall, e2809cMeasure of a Man: From Auschwitz Survivor to Presidentse28099 Tailor.e2809d
On learning the power of clothing after stealing a Nazie28099s shirt in a concentration camp:
e2809cThe day I first wore that shirt was the day I learned clothes possess power.e2809de28094from an excerpt in e2809cMeasure of a Man: From Auschwitz Survivor to Presidentse28099 Tailore2809d
Tributes to Martin Greenfield
Full obituary: The New York Timesc2
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