Lillian Hirshleifer, a legend in the fashion industry, died on Tuesday, Aug. 19, at her home in Roslyn after complications from kidney disease. She was 97
Hirshleifer helped guide the family-run luxury department store Hirshleifers, which has operated for the past 56 years in the Americana Manhasset.
Hirshleifer was born in Brooklyn and grew up on St. Mark’s Place. There, she met her husband, Paul, whom she married in the late 1940s. The two left Brooklyn and moved to Roslyn in 1958. In 2004, Paul passed away from thyroid cancer.
Before his death, both Lillian and Paul played an instrumental part in the Hirshleifer store dynasty that was founded by great-grandfather Jacob Hirshleifer.
Hirshleifers’ location at the Americana Manhasset sells high-end brands of clothing and accessories, such as Chanel, Balenciaga, Maison Margiela, Saint Laurent and more.
Hirshleifer’s website says the store began in 1910.
But Caryn Hirshleifer, the daughter of Lillian and who also serves as the vice president and counsel of her family store, says that there is evidence that a Hirshleifers store existed in 1905 at Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn.
The store shifted from Brooklyn to Forest Hills, Queens, before its eventual move to Manhasset in 1960. Their Forest Hills location lasted until 1990.
In fashion, Lillian Hirshleifer lifted the Hirshleifer brand into developing a more expanded style by becoming more adaptable to trends, differentiating from just fur and affordable fashion to collaborating with prominent American designers. Lillina Hirshleifer’s aesthetic is what has catapulted Hirshleifer into where it is, now around $100 million in annual sales.
Hirshleifers is said to have grown in large part due to the creativity and success of Lillian. Today, the retailer carries more than 130 labels and has continued its family status with fifth-generation family members on the team.
In comparison to earlier days, the store now sits at 20,000 square feet of space. Years ago, the store originally had just a 1,200-square-foot store. The Manhasset location still honors that original footprint in its store.
In addition to Caryn, Lillian Hirshleifer is survived by her daughters, Lori Sills and Shelley Shapiro. She’s also survived by her five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Hirshleifer was cremated, and there will be no formal funeral for the matriarch of the family. Donations may be made in Lillian Hirshleifer’s name to the Northwell Foundation.
