Evelyn Lauder Farewell Memorial

When I think of the name ‘Estee Lauder’ these days, the words ‘pink ribbon’, ‘pink-lit buildings’ and ‘breast cancer awareness champions’ come to mind. Behind these initiatives was Evelyn H. Lauder, the Estee Lauder Group Chairman Leonard Lauder’s wife who carried the torch supporting these causes as well as being an integral part of the family business as their Senior Corporate Vice President and Head of Fragrance Development Worldwide.

Mrs. Lauder died at 75 this week on 12 November at her home in New York City, surrounded by family from complications related to non-genetic ovarian cancer. She is survived by  husband Leonard A. Lauder, Chairman Emeritus of the Estée Lauder Companies; son William, Executive Chairman of the Estée Lauder Companies; son Gary, Managing Director of Lauder Partners LLC, and his wife Laura, General Partner of Lauder Partners; and five grandchildren. Together the family run cosmetics giant The Estee Lauder Group which has become one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products with brand names like Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, M•A•C, Bobbi Brown, Tommy Hilfiger, Kiton, La Mer, Donna Karan, Aveda, Jo Malone, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, Michael Kors, American Beauty, Flirt!, GoodSkin™ Labs, Grassroots™ Research Labs, Sean John, Missoni, Tom Ford, Coach, Ojon, Smashbox, and Ermenegildo Zegna under their fold.

Speaking for the Company, President and Chief Executive Officer Fabrizio Freda said, “Evelyn embodied the heart and soul of the Estée Lauder Companies. She was one of the pivotal architects of our vision, values, and culture. She was dynamic, creative, smart, endearingly warm, generous, and incredibly gifted at connecting with people. Her enthusiasm was contagious.”

Evelyn Lauder’s story is fascinating and epitomises the remarkable American success story. Born in Vienna, Austria, her parents fled from Europe with her during the Nazi occupation, eventually settling in New York City. Asleep when the ship bringing them to the United States arrived in New York Harbor, her mother woke her up to see the Statue of Liberty. Mrs. Lauder would remember, and be inspired by, that symbol of hope for the rest of her life. She was very proud of having attended and graduated from New York City public schools and from Hunter College, part of the City University of New York. After receiving her college degree, she was a public school teacher in New York City for several years. As a college freshman, she had been introduced to Leonard A. Lauder, the older son of Estée and Joseph Lauder, owners of a small family cosmetics company, and they married in 1959. That same year she joined the family business. She had many roles then, including serving as New Product Director and as Marketing Director. Her teaching background was an excellent springboard for one of her earliest contributions, the creation of the Company’s brand training programs. She also measured color standards in makeup, sold products in stores, and made numerous personal appearances.

Her invaluable insights on fashion trends and consumers’ rapidly changing needs influenced new approaches to the development of innovative skin care, makeup, and fragrance. The significant contributions she made in education and product development still distinguish the Estée Lauder Companies as the leader in global prestige beauty. When the Company began creative work on what became Clinique in 1968, Mrs. Lauder thought of the name Clinique and became the first to wear the now ubiquitous Clinique white lab coat after she was named the brand’s first Training Director. In 1989, Mrs. Lauder assumed the role of Senior Corporate Vice President and Head of Fragrance Development Worldwide. Her love of gardening and flowers served as inspiration as she designed new fragrances. She led the development of the Company’s most globally successful fragrances, including the best-selling Beautiful and Pleasures.

Mrs. Lauder was a philanthropic leader in New York City. She served on the Board of Overseers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and on the boards of the Central Park Conservancy and the Evelyn and Leonard Lauder Foundation. Many other charities also benefited from Mrs. Lauder’s thoughtful guidance and renowned generosity, including nonprofits devoted to health and human services, education and inner-city schools, the environment, women’s causes, and the arts.

Mrs. Lauder was perhaps best known to the public for her work in bringing global awareness to women’s health, a passion that stemmed from a personal experience with early stage breast cancer. In 1992, she co-created the Pink Ribbon, now recognized as the worldwide symbol of breast health, and launched the Estée Lauder Companies Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Campaign (www.bcacampaign.com). Each year, the BCA Campaign raises funds through its brands, employees, and retail partners around the world to help support breast cancer research. Mrs. Lauder founded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) in 1993 to provide crucial funds to breast cancer medical and scientific researchers around the world. BCRF (www.bcrfcure.org) has raised more than $350 million and supports 186 researchers globally.

Mrs. Lauder was an avid photographer, and her work is represented in many public and private collections, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, as well as leading medical facilities in the United States and abroad. In October 2002, Harry Abrams, Inc. published An Eye for Beauty, Mrs. Lauder’s second collection of photographs. Her first book of photographs, also from Abrams, The Seasons Observed, was published in September 1994. In September 2011 her works were on display at the Gagosian Gallery in London. Her third book, In Great Taste: Fresh, Simple Recipes for Eating and Living Well, was published in 2006.

For Singapore readers: a memorial for employees and business associates has been set up in the Rose Room of Estée Lauder Companies, Singapore from 15th to 24th November 2011 (9 am to 5.30 pm). Well-wishers who would like to express a memory, or a thought for The Lauder Family, can do so by visiting the Estee Lauder Singapore Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/EsteeLauderSG?sk=wall.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Evelyn Lauder Founder’s Fund (www.bcrfcure.org) or 60 East 56th Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022. Donations through credit card can also be made online via https://support.bcrfcure.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=70.