Show This Woman Made Grand Slam in Philippine ne S 5 Embroidery N w Fifth Largest Industry B VIRGINIA SWAIN N NEA EA Service Writer NEW YORK Jan 24 Bridge 24 has ruined many women and brought success to one Mrs Louise Brown one of New NewYork's NewYork's Yorks York's most successful business businesswomen businesswomen women owes her bank account t her three homes and international shops and and her rating In Bra Bradstreets Bradstreet's Brad Brad- streets street's to bridge as played by other women Thousands ot of American women wear hand made lingerie because because sixteen yea years s ago Louise Brown was m in the Philippines In a set of bridge pla playing women and could not get excited over a al grand slam During a trip to the islands oc occasioned occasioned oc- oc Fy Dy her husbands husband's business she found herself bored by th th a. a tropics the idle tourists th the eternal eternal eter- eter nal bridge games in hotel lobbies Wandering out In search ol of amusement amuse amuse- ment she stu on the craft that proved a gold mine for her and revolutionized the lingerIe trade In FOUND HER BIG CHANCE In the little huts under the palm trees the native women women were doing the most exquisite handiwork embroiderIng embroidering em- em broiderIng delicate traceries upon coarse native cloth With that eye which means success fn n business she saw those embroideries transferred to other ther materials more desirable wrapped In tissue paper nd displayed displayed dis- dis played on the tables of Fifth avenue aye ave nue shops She set out to realize reaUze the vision She studied the embroideries had samples made on materials she select se- se lect d and dreamed of a great workshop in Manila it if America accepted her offering One mystifyIng aspect of the native native na- na tive handiwork was that the women worn worn- en were using the exact stitches and patterns which had made French embroidery famous This curIous fact was explained when Mrs Irs Brown learned that the Philippine women had fIrst learned their handicraft from a little band of French nuns who had come to the Islands as missionaries many generations ago The prized stitches and designs had been handed down as heIrlooms from mother to daughter without variation so that the Philippine wares were scarcely distinguishable dis- dis from the best French convent work J x found out says sas Mrs 1 Brown Browl th t all the workers needed was sup I personally bought ht all materials and inspected the de- de S S 7 a r 4 2 S t A v v i-v I 4 3 i I k L I I I l ll i I 5 V l S S V S S t 4 S 4 S r J A si Y s 's c 4 I S 'S 5 a S 4 1 y 4 i MRS LOUISE BROWN signs bringing the garments up to European standards before I approached approached ap- ap the American market The first trip back ItO to New York was a time of f us hopes and fears for Mrs 1 Brown But the fears were needless America instantly in- in approved her wares and she found buyers waiting on her doorstep door door- step for shipments SI She e returned to Manila 1 and began began be- be gan q quantity manufacture continually contin- contin Increasing her trade until embroidery em- em became beame the fifth ranking industry of tle Philippines Philippine Cutthroat during the war threatened the entire industry but it weathered the storm Today Toda ten thousand natives look to Mrs Brown for a livelihood Her Initiative initiative Initia- Initia tive has brought clothes and food tood to Philippine families and schools f for r the children I WINS WITH WORK Today her models are designed in France embroidered In Manila on material from the United States Her business has grown glown so rapidly I that she now spends most of her I time traveling between New York Paris and M Manila nila In each ot of which cities she maintains a home lie lie- lieson son and daughter are in school near New York You cant can't g goo Into for amusement and succeed she says It requires constant work and thought I watch every detail of my business desIgning new models observing the American market trying to keep ahead of the f fashion In the meantime I have found opportunities to chum with my son and d to dabble with sculpture and to follow several sports But during business hours you'll find me In my office working working work work- ing as hard as the least typist sub In my Corps And bridge Now Kow that I have a amore amore more substantial occupation for tor the daytime I 1 have learned to love it and to hold nold m my own even in frequent frequent fre- fre quent games with such an expert as Elizabeth Hanna |