Harris Sumrie

Harris Sumrie (1866–1951) was a Polish, Jewish immigrant who founded the pioneering men's fashion textile company, C. and M. Sumrie Ltd, in Leeds in 1891. Harris was a skilled tailor who foresaw the potential of providing high-class male tailoring to a mass market eager for clothing that had aesthetic appeal. He founded a company specializing in the production of high-class ready-to-wear clothing and bespoke tailoring. He is credited with providing the first ready-to-wear garment to the London market, and establishing Leeds as the leading center of ready-to-wear fashion.

Early life

Harris was born in Głowno, Congress Poland, Russian Empire in May 1866, to Myer and Rebecca Sumrie. He began in the textile trade as a boy and arrived as a journeyman in Leeds in 1886. He and his wife, Malka Tulinsky (b.1860 Poland-1926), known as Mary, were listed in Leeds as Russian nationals, despite being proud of their Polish identity. Their first child, Maurice, was born in Russia in 1885. By 1919, he employed around 35 people. They also developed 'Sumgrip', hip-fastening flannels, in competition with Simpson Daks. In the 1980s, the company moved from Sumrie House, which was later demolished, and taken over by Executex.