Nelly Don

Nelly Don Inc. was a clothing manufacturer and distributor from 1956 to 1978. It was founded by Nell Donnelly Reed in 1919 as the Donnelly Garment Company and was renamed to Nelly Don after the founder retired and sold her interest in the company.[1][2][3]

Two Nelly Don apron dresses,1922
Nelly Don logo, 1921

The company was headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri and had additional factories in that state. During World War II it made uniforms for women in the military and factories, and underwear for men in the military.

Nelly Don manufactured 75 million dresses from 1916 to 1978 making it the largest dress manufacturer of the 20th century. They were one of the first companies to apply assembly line techniques to clothing manufacturing. It was reported that she only had to dismiss one employee in the entire history of the company.

A documentary film was made about this company titled Nelly Don: A Stitch in Time.

In March 2019, an original production, Nelly Don: the Musical, by the playwright and lyricist Terence O'Malley, debuted at the MTH Theater at Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri.[4]

References
Nelly Don Inc.
IndustryClothing manufacturer and distributor
Founded1919 (1919)
FounderNell Donnelly Reed
HeadquartersKansas City, Missouri
  1. Donnelly Biography at State Historical Society of Missouri, Retrieved June 28, 2015
  2. "Nelly Don Collection | Missouri Historic Costume and Textile Collection | Textile and Apparel Management | College of Human Environmental Sciences | University of Missouri". tam.missouri.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  3. "Nelly Don: Self Made in America". Seamwork.
  4. Kelly, Dan (10 March 2019). "'Nelly Don: The Musical' weaves together the astounding life of a Kansas City icon". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
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