Local matters: Insurance pilferage, 1963-1971

The New York Coat and Suit Association was an organization comprised of coat and suit manufacturers in New York City. The majority of the records in the collection are during the tenure of Joseph Dubow, who was the executive director for many years. The collection contains material of local matters including tax, city government, insurance, unemployment, and commercial rent. Also included is material of national matters including documents on the cleaning instruction label that appears on garments, known as the "care" label, flammability regulations of fabric, numerous documents on the impact of imports in the textile industry, and records and correspondence regarding the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in particular the Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939, advertising allowances, and fake fur labeling. A section of the collection consists of special notice fliers advertising meetings and events, general mass correspondence to members, and bulletins, all arranged according to year. Many surveys and studies of the coat and suit industry with statistics, trends and market data, buying behavior and opinions are present, as well as public relations material along with photographs for ad campaigns, one marketing fake fur to children and teens.



Much of the collection contains records from other organizations and associations, including bound meeting minute books from the Executive Committee of the Cloak, Suit and Skirt Manufacturers Protective Association from 1910-1917. There is correspondence and documents of the Apparel Industries Inter-Association Committee (comprised of apparel manufacturing associations, though originally formed by a few outerwear apparel associations) of which the New York Coat and Suit Association was a member.



A large component of the collection includes the records of the National Coat and Suit Industry Recovery Boards, the organization that was formed in 1935 with management and labor to continue the codes and standards set forth by the National Recovery Administration. Contained in the collection are the reports from the Executive Board meetings, the bound reports and resolutions from the yearly National Executive Board meetings, constitutions and by-laws, and financial statements. Other information and documents of the National Coat and Suit Industry Recovery Boards can be found in the related collection 6036/010.