Happy Birthday, Estee Lauder! A Former Employee Looks Back
Happy birthday to Estée Lauder. (Photo: Getty Images)
July 1st is the birth date of the original beauty mogul Estée Lauder, born in New York in 1908. Way before branding oneself became a trend, the cosmetics queen perfected the concept. Born Josephine Esther Mentzer in Queens, she teamed up with her uncle John Schotz who made beauty tonics in his home kitchen. While he was skilled at creating the product, Lauder was a born salesperson. By the early 1940s, Lauder changed her husband’s surname Lauter to Lauder, began using her middle name, and was selling creams under Estée Lauder. Lauder’s personalized selling approach earned her legions of devoted fans. She believed in the power of touching each client, often directly applying products to their skin. Lauder also understood the power of image, marketing her own glamorous lifestyle to sell beauty-in-a-jar. By the time her company went public in 1995, the global company’s estimated worth was five billion dollars.
Recently, we had a chance to talk with Estelle Hahn Brodsky who worked at Estée Lauder for over a decade in their public relations department. Brodsky reminisced about her time working at the prestigious beauty brand, and what it was like to work with the Lauders. Here is her story in her own words:
I started working at Estée Lauder in 1980. I stayed for twelve wonderful years and I don’t have a bad word to say about that time. Previously I was a model in the 1950s, then I worked in publicity for magazines. At Estée Lauder, I worked in the International Press Department. We did presentations all over the world, Singapore, parts of Africa, and Asia. It was an excellent company to work for, partly because you were working with such a high caliber team of people. Everyone had really earned their stripes.
Estelle Hahn Brodsky modeling in the 1950s.
Everything we did was inspired by Estée Lauder herself. We had a sign on our desks that said, “Is it Estée Lauder?” We wanted to make sure everything reflected her vision. We always knew to push things one step further. You always had to be at the top of your game. She was extremely detail oriented. She approved everything, the placement of things in a meeting, and every single color line.
Estée always was impeccably turned out and we had to be too. You couldn’t go without lipstick. Makeup always had to be perfect, but not too much. You couldn’t look like you were trying too hard, more elegant. You had to be in heels. She really preferred dresses or skirts. When Estée was on the floor, you were very conscious of the proper way to do things. She noticed every detail even the cookies. There were special cookies she liked from the bakery at Bloomingdales, they couldn’t be too crumbly, and you had to be able to hold them with one hand.
From Estée Lauder, I learned about the importance of striving to be the best, and the importance of working with people who are like that too. Estée Lauder is a company that recognizes people who put their passion into their work. The rest of the family was wonderful too. Leonard and Evelyn were delightful to work with and very much in love. I remember during a company anniversary celebration, Evelyn pinched him while he was speaking thinking no one was looking. It was a cute moment.
Evelyn and Lauder were very collaborative with the staff, it really was a team. They always gave people the respect they deserved, and were very loyal to their employees. When my husband passed away Evelyn sent me a three page note telling me she knew I would be strong and asking if there was anything they could do.They sent cars to take me to work those first few weeks when I came back. I’ve never forgotten it.
In the early 90s, I remember we saw Bobbi Brown coming out of Leonard’s office and the entire room was buzzing, wondering if they would be in business together. Bobbi had just launched her brand a few years before. Sure enough, they announced it soon after.
At that time, public relations was more of a private department. The idea was that publicity should be deserved not sought out. Things are different now of course, but that was the thought then.
I have so much respect for the company and the Lauder family. It was a very special time in my life. I hated to leave, if not for the travel alone. I really got to travel the world. But the company treated me so well giving me supplemental health care for the rest of my life and an early retirement package. It was a wonderful time in my life and I have nothing but great memories.
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