Immigrant of the Day: Josie Natori (Philippines)

As founder and Chief Executive Officer of Natori Company, Josie Natori literally reconfigured an industry, erasing the boundary between innerwear and outerwear. She started her business from scratch, twenty-five years ago. Born Josefina Almeda Cruz, the eldest of six children, Natori's earliest success was as a classical pianist, and she performed a solo concert with the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra at nine. She left Manila for New York in 1964, at 17, to study economics at Manhattanville College. In 1971, she moved to Merrill Lynch as an investment banker. While there, she met her future husband, Ken Natori, a third-generation Japanese-American. Within a few years, Natori was married and had been named the first woman vice-president in investment banking.  An old friend sent her a variety of hand-embroidered clothing, including some blouses that Natori took to a buyer at Bloomingdale's. When the buyer suggested lengthening them and turning them into nightshirts, an empire was born.  Natori quit her job, and set up shop in her living room. Although she had no experience in fashion or manufacturing, within a few years she was working out of an 11,000-square-foot loft, with a showroom and sample and design workspaces.

KJ