top of page
Woman in Camel Suit

Jewel Institute of Fashion

The purpose of the Jewel Institute of Fashion founded by Jewel Littenberg and Uwe Westphal, will be to provide inspiration for all, about the world of clothing design, with a primary focus on reaching out to young people. The Institute will present a realistic overview as well as insight into various aspects of the industry.  Whether students plan to become clothing designers, illustrators, writers or models, the Institute will provide them with an array of opportunities to learn about the fashion industry and hear from people who have been successful in the industry.   A significant effort of the Institute will be to recognize and encourage the talents of all students, but especially those who are economically challenged and have interests in the fashion industry as careers.  .

Home: Welcome
jpb trunk shows 001.jpg

 Jewel Littenberg is an award-winning fashion designer, portrait artist and entrepreneur who has received recognition for her accomplishments by "Who's Who of American Women" ;"Two Thousand Notable American Women"; "International Who's Who of Professional and Business Women",and recent recipient of the "Who's Who Lifetime Achievement Award" . She has a degree in fine arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology and a degree in fashion from the Traphagen School of Fashion. Upon graduation, prior  to returning to New York City where she became an award-winning  beading and embroidery designer, she established Jewel Originals in Rochester, NY where she designed and made clothing for an elite clientele as well as costumes for a TV show.  Many of her beading and embroidery designs appeared in the collections of Oscar de la Renta, Dior, Estevez, John Weitz and other highly recognized designers, as well as in Vogue and Harper Bazaar magazines. In 1975. with a $100 investment she created “Jewel of Palm Beach”. Her sun porch became her workroom where she began creating samples of hand painted and appliqued sportswear which she sold to local shops. Within a few years she was selling to major department and specialty stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Sakowitz and others throughout the United States, Japan and South America. She moved from renting to owning her building which in addition to manufacturing, added a retail division and factory outlet which was selected as “one of the best in the country”.   

Home: Image
Fashion-Metropolis-Berlin-1836-1939.jpg

Uwe Westphal studied art history and history as well as communication sciences at the University of the Arts in Berlin.
1987-1992 he published two books on the history of Berlin Jewish fashion, published several essays in the Leo Baeck Year Books.
1989-1999 Westphal worked as a correspondent for the BBC, PBS and CBS in London and NYC.
1991 - 1993 as editor-in-chief of the New York newspaper DER AUFBAU.
2020 Uwe Westphal wrote the book Fashion Metropolis Berlin 1836 - 1939 - The Story of the Rise and Destruction of the Jewish Fashion Industry.  An illustrated book with previously unknown photos and new research about the fate of a great tradition of Jewish Berlin fashion that was radically destroyed by the Nazis. Book presentations in the last 2 years in NYC with FIT and Eldridge Museum (https://youtu.be/098r7515SjE), Palm BeachSynagogue,JCC West Palm Beach, Miami University, Milwaukee Jewish Museum and Yad Vashem.
The book is now considered the most important reference work on international fashion design education and related Jewish history. He researched the fates of exiled fashion designers, especially in the USA. A reference work with 272 pages and 150 unknown illustrations.
Since 2000, Uwe Westphal has been running his own TV production company in London.  He lives in Berlin and London as a book author and freelance journalist.http://tvtimedirect.myshopify.com/products/fashion-metropolis-berlin-1836-1939-the-story-of-the-rise-and-destruction-of-the-jewish-fashion-i 

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Uwe-Westphal-ebook/dp/B01NCNVN25/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Home: Welcome

Fashion 101

Home: Blog2
Home: Welcome
bottom of page