Background/Story
Rena Rowan snap-together imitation tortoise casein button with initial “RR” impressed into metal piece with shank. The casein surrounds and snaps away from the metal. 13/16”
Rena Rowan Damone was born in Lida, Poland in 1928. She and her mother were exiled to Siberia during WWII.
After Russian penal law changed in 1847, exile and penal labor (katorga) became common penalties for participants in national uprisings within the Russian Empire. This led to sending . . .
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Rena Rowan Damone was born in Lida, Poland in 1928. She and her mother were exiled to Siberia during WWII.
After Russian penal law changed in 1847, exile and penal labor (katorga) became common penalties for participants in national uprisings within the Russian Empire. This led to sending an increasing number of Poles to Siberia …
Her family emigrated to America when Rena was 17. She was married to James Rowan and had four children but the marriage ended in divorce. She was able to support her young family as a model and also by designing and making custom clothing. She tired of trying to please the women she was making clothing for and decided to move to New York and work for Oleg Cassini. Cassini furnished her with sketches and fabrics and she produced the pattern. Rena Rowan was hired as head designer for Jones New York in 1970 and became Vice President of the company until her retirement in 2000. She married singer Vic Damone in 1998. Rena died at the age of 88 in 2016.
Rena Rowan, a War Refugee, Became a Top Clothing Designer in U.S.
-Wall Street Journal Obituaries
References: Images on Google; Palm Beach Daily News; https://vintagefashionguild.org/
For more about this artist, see Designer Logo Buttons Book Featuring Designers Using Logos on Their Buttons by Veronica L. Kauk
Contributor: Ronnie Kauk
Rena Rowan snap-together imitation tortoise casein button with initial “RR” impressed into metal piece with shank. The casein surrounds and snaps away from the metal. 13/16”
Rena Rowan Damone was born in Lida, Poland in 1928. She and her mother were exiled to Siberia during WWII.
After Russian penal law changed in 1847, exile and penal labor (katorga) became common penalties for participants in national uprisings within the Russian Empire. This led to sending . . .
... member login