Adel Rootstein

[1] Rootstein started by making window displays, which gave her an understanding of "the void that had existed between fashion coverage in the international media & what actually happened in windows.

"[2][full citation needed][non-primary source needed] Rootstein started making mannequins in the kitchen of her basement flat in Earls Court in 1956.

[2] She first hired sculptor John Taylor and model Imogen for her first mannequin, placed in a reclining position.

[3] Rootstein has been called the "Rolls-Royce" of mannequin makers, and later used well-known singers and actresses as models for her mannequins; Cher, Joan Collins and Twiggy among them.

[5] The mannequin business was sold in 1991 to Japanese mannequin manufacturer, Yoshichu who had been a long time collaborator of Adel's[6].They continued to grow the business and release collections that stayed true to Adel's founding principles.