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Earnshaw’s (Magazine)

Earnshaw’s is a children’s apparel trade magazine that is provided for free to retailers across the United States. Earnshaw’s owned by custom and business publishing company 9Threads and is published ten times a year by Symphony Publishing.

In 1917, George F. Earnshaw, President of Earnshaw Knitting Company, founded The Infants’ Department, a monthly publication that was intended to help inform infants’ wear retailers across the country of the trends and techniques used by their peers that were successfully increasing their businesses. Meant to be a platform for a free exchange of ideas, Earnshaw thought retailers could learn from one another without directly competing. It was a custom publication in its first years, featuring advertisements for Vanta Baby Products, manufactured at Earnshaw Knitting Company. In 1921, however, The Infants’ Department started taking a life of its own and began attracting outside advertisers. The magazine was first audited in 1938, by C.A.A. (the predecessor to B.P.A.) and was reported to go out to 9,000 members of the children’s apparel trade. George F. Earnshaw died in 1940. The magazine continued being produced by the existing editorial staff for several years. Ernest Dane, who had interest in the magazine after Earnshaw’s passing, passed away in 1948, and his 51% stock ownership was purchased by the editor on record as well as the advertising manager, Walter T. Hudson and Arthur Reidell. For about 57 years, the Hudsons kept the magazine in their family. Walter T. Hudson passed the magazine to his son, Thomas W. Hudson Sr., who had apprenticed there since 1947. Thomas Hudson Sr. died in 1989 at the age of 59, and the interest in the magazine passed to his wife Edna. During this time, Thomas Hudson’s son, Thomas Hudson Jr. led the magazine, continuing his father’s strategy of building other trade brands in his media portfolio including Plus Sizes and Footwear Plus. In 2005, Earnshaw’s was purchased from Edna Hudson by private equity firm Zapis Capital. Zapis Capital added both Earnshaw’s and Footwear Plus to his own portfolio of trade publications, including Musical Merchandise Review and School Band and Orchestra. Earnshaw’s is currently part of custom publication company 9Threads, owned by Zapis Capital. George Frederick Earnshaw was born in 1871 in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. As a young man, he worked as a salesman for Johns Manville Co. In 1911, he created Vanta baby garments and founded the Earnshaw Knitting Company in Chicago. Earnshaw began publishing Earnshaw’s magazine, then called The Infants’ Department, in 1917, in order to assist retailers to grow their children’s businesses. Earnshaw Knitting Company moved to Newton, MA in 1920. Earnshaw ran both the publishing house and knitting company for many years and was responsible for many childrenswear innovations that were afforded patent protection. Earnshaw urged retailers to focus on Mother’s Trade, and become schooled on the special selling techniques geared toward a woman’s role as a mother. Earnshaw passed away on October 1, 1940, at his summer home in Ocean Point, Maine. Earnshaw’s has had a significant influence on the Children’s Apparel Retail community. In the early 20th century, Earnshaw’s magazine had the explicit goal of growing the children’s trade, and building infants’ departments. As infants’ departments started aggregating goods from all sections of department stores (nursery furniture, children’s gloves and hats, etc.), numbers attributed to these departments grew. Earnshaw’s was the only publication dedicated to this industry, and gave advice, information and ideas for growing a children’s business during a challenging time for retailers in the U.S. -- throughout WWI, the Depression and WWII. After WWII, children’s goods became an even bigger business due to the post-war baby boom. Earnshaw’s urged business owners began selling “to the child” as well as “to the mother.” Through the ‘60s and ‘70s, Earnshaw’s was known for producing “How to Sell” guides, focused on girlswear, boyswear, and infants’ wear. The practical retailing information was used as essential staff training for many retailers across the country. In 1975 Earnshaw’s began the Earnie Awards, an annual award honoring excellence in various categories in the childrenswear industry. This award became a coveted honor amongst childrenswear manufacturers. With the burgeoning importance of the digital space, the current Earnshaw’s magazine is not only delivered in print, but also in digital and app format. The Earnie Awards continue to be given out in October annually, honoring the year’s best in children’s goods. In 2011, Earnshaw’s began a “Hall of Fame” also honoring childrenswear professionals who made their careers in the industry.
 * History
 * Founder G.F. Earnshaw:
 * Influence on Children's Apparel Retail Community:
 * Current Leadership:

Group Publisher	Caroline Diaco

Publisher		Noelle Heffernan

Editor-in-Chief	Jennifer Cattaui

Creative Director	Nancy Campbell

Art Director 	Trevett McCandliss

Style Director	Michel Onofrio (freelance)

Fashion Editor	Angela Velasquez

Ownership		Zapis Capital

Publishing House	Symphony Publishing