Richard O. Porter managed Vivian Porter & Co. Ltd , a ladieswear and sportswear wholesalers which was founded in 1902 in premises at 9 - 10 Holles Street, London. Initially it manufactured only ladieswear but in the 1920s it expanded its range to include specialised sports fashions. It sold garments to a number of stores, including Altman's in New York and Harvey Nichols and Woollands in London. Designers who worked for the firm included Margaret Parker and Phyllis Wise . Porter was actively involved in many aspects of the wholesale clothing industry and belonged to the Wholesale Fashion Trades Association . He contributed a number of articles to trade journals such as the Drapers Record and was Chairman of the Fashion Display Committee for the British Industries Fair in 1937.
From the guide to the Richard O. Porter, fashion wholesaler: albums, 1902 - 1951, (V&A Archive of Art and Design)
