Elaine Gold, founder of Collection XIIX and Elaine Gold Enterprises, has died at the age of 89 following a brief illness.
Born and raised in New York, Gold, a veteran of the accessories industry, began her career at Vera Scarves, where she worked for more than 19 years. Following this, Gold worked at Robinson & Golluber and Totes, at latter of which she ran the XIIX Karats division. In 1983, she purchased the company, changing its name to Collection XIIX and soon taking on brand licenses such as Anne Klein and Jones New York. Around the same time, she launched her namesake collection, which was sold in stores until 1997.
Later, Gold would go on to found her own scarf and fashion accessory company, Elaine Gold Enterprises, which worked with clients such as the U.S. Postal Service, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Vera Bradley.
“Elaine was a visionary and a supporter of entrepreneurial women across all industries,” said Drew Pizzo, president and owner of Collection XIIX. “An icon in the accessory industry, she was known for her impeccable and strong sense of style, always perfectly put together and always a well-matching scarf to accessorize her signature tailored look. She was a mentor and friend to many and a very dear friend and partner to me. She will be fondly remembered.”
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Gold was active in the accessories community beyond her companies as well. She served as a charter member of the Accessories Council, where she worked on several of its boards and was presented with the Hall of Fame award in 2007. She was also a longtime board member of Shenkar College in Israel and served on the advisory board of LIM College.
An industry memorial service will be announced in the coming weeks.