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Julian Tomchin, who in a career that spanned retail, fashion, design and home furnishings for more than 60 years, passed away on Christmas Day at age 90.
Tomchin was best known to the home textiles industry for his careers at Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s and at Wamsutta and later at Fieldcrest Cannon where he was senior vice president and design director from 1989 to 1993. But he spent many years as a fabric designer for apparel and home, as an educator at Shenkar College in Israel and later in his life as a product designer and development consultant in his own business J. Tomchin Design, based in San Francisco where he spent the last two decades of his life.
Tomchin, always classically dressed and usually wearing his round architect-style eyeglasses, was a commanding figure in the home business for decades, never bashful about stating his opinion and taking a position wwarron products, people and companies. As such, he had his fans and his foes but he had the respect and admiration of virtually all he came into contact with and was a mentor to generations of people in the industry.
“Julian was such an important role model in my life,” Taran Chernin, who worked with Tomchin at Bloomingdale’s and later was an executive with Macy’s and WestPoint Home, wrote on social media. “He was my direct supervisor and boss in my formative years at Bloomingdales. He was the VP of the home fashion office and I was fashion director in textiles. Julian taught me so much both professionally and personally. I am forever grateful to him for all he taught me.”
“Julian Tomchin was and will always be a treasure in my life,” said Bonnie Mackay, who worked with him at Bloomingdale’s and was director of creative, marketing and merchandising at the Museum of Modern Art later. “He was my mentor and my guide, who gave me the strength to take risks that opened up so many opportunities for me. I would never have made the achievements on my career path without his guidance.”
Kris Deaton, who spent 25 years at Macy’s West, mostly in the home area, had similar remembrances. “Julian was a creative genius and incredible mentor to many of us in the textile industry and I am thankful to add beautiful, loving friend to his many wonderful accomplishments.”
Others remembered him as a supremely gifted creative who thrived across a number of different areas of the industry. “Julian was a unique talent,” wrote Mark Grand, former president of Peking Handicraft and before that a retailer with Sears and Stroud’s, “and was one of the rare people who succeeded on both the retail and supplier sides. There was no one quite like him in our industry.”
Tomchin began his career, after graduating from Syracuse University and a tour of duty in the army, in the apparel fabrics business where he created designs worn by celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and performers in the Broadway show Mame. He helped design an iconic scarf for TWA flight attendants and saw his designs added to the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He won the prestigious Coty Award, believed to be the only fabric designer to do so.
After heading the textile design department at Shenkar College in Israel he later moved into retailing, joining Bloomingdale’s in 1979 as vice president and design director for home. During his ten years with the department store he was instrumental in helping to create its famed Country Promotions that spotlighted the people and products of different nations around the world. They became a signature element of Bloomies during this period and Tomchin visited more than 20 countries with the buyers and merchandising staffs to put them together.
In 1989 he moved back to the supplier side – he had spent an earlier period with Wamsutta – as senior vice president and design director for Fieldcrest Cannon. While there he helped expand its Charisma program and led showroom design where his touches included tented pavilions complete with aromatic fragrances.
In 1993 Tomchin returned to retail, moving to San Francisco and becoming senior vice president at Macy’s under its CEO Mike Steinberg. During his nine years there he helped create a distinctive California and West Coast vibe for the store apart from its East Coast counterpart, including the store’s first Hotel bedding program, a notable San Francisco souvenir collection and holiday merchandise assortments that were stellar in their creativity and spectrum.
After Macy’s West, Tomchin left the corporate world and ran his consulting business for the remainder of his life, working with Macy’s but also with clients like Natori and others. He also focused more on his personal life and his husband Bob Ryan, living in their exquisite San Francisco apartment overlooking the bay and a weekend home down the coast in Stinson Beach.
They were together for 27 years, Ryan said, and the last year was the toughest as Tomchin faced a number of health setbacks, he wrote on social media. “The past year has been the hardest of our life, but he fought back hard from each health challenge with toughness & determination that made me so proud & so very grateful.”
He added in an interview with us, “I had no idea what a tough mother he was, we could have lost him a year ago so as difficult as it was, it was a blessing to have him this long.”
Ryan said Tomchin was most proud of his time with Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s, calling them “treasured memories. Julian’s creativity was unending as was his love of travel, of people and different cultures.”
Memorial services are planned for both east and west coasts sometime in 2023, he said, and Tomchin’s ashes will be scattered at Stinson Beach where he said they had their best times. Besides Ryan he is survived by his nephew Joshua White, who he said “Julian always considered to be his little brother.”
In comments posted on social media, many who had worked with Tomchin wrote similar thoughts about his creativity, his mentoring and even his tenacity in never being shy about advocating for his opinions. “I worked with Julian at Fieldcrest Cannon, he was a great mentor,” wrote Steve Pianowski, from the textiles sector. “We did bump heads now and then but he taught me a great deal.” Ryan, hearing that, laughed and said, “Julian never had any trouble with transparency.”
Another comment was often repeated. “Julian was a gift to this world,” wrote Rick Lapine, who has been involved with companies on the retail and supply side in housewares. “To all of us that his life touched over the many years of his career, how lucky were we?”
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