Frankie Welch Papers - Accession 519

The Frankie Welch Papers consists of correspondence, financial records, stock inventories, newspaper clippings, newsletters, monograms and fabrics, correspondence relating to commissioned artwork, designer scarf donations, and business associates of Frankie Welch’s business venture, Frankie Welch of America. The largest part of the collection consists of financial records dealing with the designing and manufacturing of the products made and sold by Frankie Welch of America. Frankie Welch, born Mary Frances Barnett (1923- ), was a fashion designer and a former Distinguished Visiting Professor of Merchandising and Design in the School of Consumer Science at Winthrop College from 1982 through 1985. She became well-known for designing scarves for many prominent political figures from 1960s to 1990s, a dress design known as “The Frankie,” and a dress worn by First Lady Betty Ford in her official portrait.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/1600/thumbnail.jp