History

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In 1947, Schuman became president of the California Manufacturer's and Wholesaler's Association. To promote the blossoming San Francisco fashion industry, he organized the "San Francisco to Paris Fashion Show" in which extravagant runway productions were mounted in both cities. The shows highlighted the creativity and prosperity of San Francisco fashion companies, and asserted an allegiance with the famous Paris couture industry, which was nearly destroyed by Nazi occupation during World War II, and was grasping to regain its financial strength and fashion influence. During these events, Schuman made important business contacts with Paris fashion figures Coco Chanel and Cristobal Balenciaga (who would go on to provide anonymous designs for Lilli Ann as a personal and professional favor to Schuman), as well as with the influential Bazaar editor Carmel Snow.

After this introduction to Paris, Schuman began making twice-yearly trips to France to purchase textiles and attend couture showings. Garment labels soon read "Lilli Ann - Paris - San Francisco" though the company's Paris "expansion" was only nominal. Schuman visited struggling textile mills in Normandy which were very near to commercial failure. Moved at the thought of the loss of a centuries-old national industry (and sensing a unique business opportunity), Schuman began ordering massive amounts of fabric from the mills to import for Lilli Ann. One mill that took especially large orders from the company was Blin & Blin, whose label often appears along with the Lilli Ann label. The textiles produced by these mills were particularly suitable for suits and coats, the garments for which the Lilli Ann company is best known.

Following the success of this plan, Schuman made similar arrangements with silk mills in Milan. Both France and Italy presented him with national honors for his role in re-vitalizing their traditional industries.