Sad news to report, friends.
The Wolfform Company, manufacturer of dress forms for more than 100 years, is out of business.
I don't know what happened. Maybe they felt they could no longer compete with cheaper imports. Maybe the market had shrunk too dramatically. Maybe there was no one in the family to run the business. I have no additional information to share.
There are other American companies that still make the classic papier-mâché (as opposed to fiberglass) forms -- Superior and Ronis are the two that come to mind. My hunch is that many people are opting for models like these which, while more expensive than the popular adjustable forms, are half the price of a Wolf, if not even less. It's tough out there!
At FIT, the majority of the dress forms we use are Wolfs.
At home I use a female PGM Size 8 I bought on Craigslist for less than $100 a few years ago. (My male form is a beautiful second-hand Royal, manufactured by Ronis.) She's adequate, but not easy to pin on so she mainly serves as a hanger. At this she excels.
I've been looking for a second-hand Wolf, ideally a full body with legs. I actually found one for sale in my apartment building (!), but she was a little too small in size and too high in price. Still, she was just an elevator ride away -- tempting.
I feel bad about Wolf going out of business. They were used in the finest costume shops, garment companies, and fashion schools. Perhaps you own one or have worked with one.
Any idea what happened?
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