Martin Miller, a well-known fixture in the apparel industry who brokered a deal between Dillard’s Department Stores and the Daniel Cremieux brand, died March 21 at his home in Palm Beach, Fla. He would have turned 95 on April 9.
Miller was not ill but had been rehabilitating from a neck injury, according to his daughters, Darcy Miller and Jenny Symonds.
Miller was born in New York City, the son of the founder of Miller Brothers Hat Company. He attended MIT and Harvard Business School before joining the family business, where he worked for 15 years. “A lot of his business school friends went to Wall Street and he went into the family hat business,” Darcy Miller said.
In 1970, when he realized that people were no longer wearing hats like they used to, he invested $750,000 to create RPM Fashion, a young men’s slacks company, where he served as president. He sold that business to Palm Beach Co. a few years later, then repurchased it in 1975. In 1986, he started another slacks company, Baxter International Ltd., a joint venture with Christopher Cheng, the owner of Hong Kong-based Wing Tai Group. That business closed after several years when Cheng was no longer interested in continuing the company.
After that, his daughters said, Miller continued to be active in the fashion industry. He served as managing partner of the Belvedere Fund, an investment firm, and head of the consulting firm Terbell Group Inc.
It was during those years that he became acquainted with Daniel Crémieux. He had been visiting Saint-Tropez and went into the Cremieux store in that resort town. He was impressed with the collection, found the designer and asked if he sold in the U.S. When he was told that there was no American distribution, he promised to change that.
In 2000, Miller orchestrated the deal to bring the French brand to Dillard’s where it continues to be one of the company’s most popular men’s labels.
Miller served as a consultant to the designer in the U.S., Canada and Asia and introduced the label and Crémieux’s son Stéphane to Dillard’s chief executive officer, Bill Dillard 2nd. “He liked the merchandise, liked the talent and liked that [Crémieux] was a paratrooper,” Miller said when the collection launched. “You don’t find many designers who were paratroopers.” The Dillard’s CEO tapped his son, Bill Dillard 3rd, to oversee the development of the line in the U.S.
“We first met Marty when he introduced us to Daniel and Stéphane Crémieux,” said Bill Dillard 3rd. “He heard we were looking for a partnership with a European men’s brand — kind of like Nordstrom with Façonnable. He always kept his ear to the ground and was savvy. We have built a great business and friendship through the years and Marty was a big part. We all learned a lot from his decades of experience. He was always ready to help and was so enthusiastic about making great product. There aren’t many left like Marty. We will miss him and our hearts go out to his daughters and their families.”
Upon hearing of Miller’s passing, Daniel Crémieux said: “I am very, very sad today by the loss of Martin. If we are in the USA today, this is because he found our potential when he was visiting our Saint-Tropez shop with his wife Madge. He was really charismatic. My wife Gen and I remember great times spent together discussing the American market. I lost a friend.”
Stéphane Crémieux and Martin Miller
George Chinsee
His son, Stéphane Crémieux, added: “It is very sad news. No one knows how many phone calls every day Martin and I had. During these years, he has been my coach, my mentor in order to understand the American market and culture. When I moved to New York we met almost every two days and he liked the fact that our new office was across from their apartment. I already miss our phone calls and I am sure he looks at what we are doing from where he is now.”
His daughters said despite his age, Miller never truly retired and continued to speak to Stéphane Crémieux constantly. “But it was with new ideas,” Symonds said, “always asking what they could do better.”
He was known as a dapper dresser with his tortoiseshell glasses, tasseled loafers and impeccably tailored dark suits. He also was a fixture at top restaurants around the world, where he and his wife Madge, who died in 2023, would dine nearly every night, alone or with friends or associates. Until his neck injury, he continued to go out to dinner every night at Sant Ambroeus, Colette and other well-known restaurants. His daughters also pointed out how close he was with his sons-in-law and grandchildren.
“He was kind to everyone,” said Symonds. “He made you feel special. That was his superpower.” Her sister added: “He was a true gentleman. It’s the end of an era.”
In addition to his daughters, he is survived by his sons-in-law Andy Nussbaum and Geoff Symonds and six grandchildren.
A celebration of life will be held on March 30 at 11 a.m., at Central Synagogue in New York City. Private burial will follow. The families will sit shiva on Sunday from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Monday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Nussbaum home, 850 Park Avenue in New York.
