Standing at almost 6 feet tall, Jan Strimple looks like a swan and moves like a feline. She glides when the rest of us walk. She annunciates when the rest of us mumble. She sits at a 90 degree angle when the rest of us slouch. With her legendary red hair and notable air of confidence, she is certainly impossible to miss. Physically, Jan Strimple is striking to say the least, but her looks are just a small piece of this wise and giving woman.
At age 13, many would consider towering over your peers an unwanted uniqueness. Strimple, however, used it to her advantage and was selected by Montgomery Wards’ North Eastern Ohio Teen Board for the Wendy Ward Charm and Modeling School, the beginning of what would ultimately become her career. Strimple credits much of her success to her parents. “The poise and carriage our parents instilled into their three daughters contributed greatly to my expedient career start,” she says. “That early position of great responsibility carved the straightforward attitude I now bring to my work.” Ask any one of Strimple’s notorious interns and they’ll tell you that you’ll learn more working with her than with any other company. She teaches them everything, from learning how to write a professional email to how to style a fashion show to the importance of maintaining appropriate posture at all times. “Today, I drill the importance of good posture into my college interns,” Strimple explains. “Good posture sends a message of self-respect and pride and asks the world to treat you with respect. Bad posture tells the world you don’t care about yourself, so why should they?” And although working as a high-end buyer—not as a model—was her ultimate goal, she has embraced the industry with poise and domination for decades.
Jan married Dan Strimple in 1974. Shortly after, the newlyweds left Ohio with very little money and traveled for two years in an effort to discover where they would make their home. “We left Ohio with $600 cash, my orange hatchback Chevy Vega, a tiny trailer filled with basic household items, some clothing and a map of the U.S,” Strimple remembers. With only each other to lean on for those two years, the Strimples became a strong, devoted couple. “That period provided the entire foundation for our ability, as a couple, to face the distance and time challenges that were yet to come with the launch of my international modeling career,” Strimple says. “Those two years forged the basis for our deep love, friendship and mutual respect. Dan has been the most amazing man at my side through this life experience. I love him deeply.”
When the couple chose Dallas as their permanent address in the 1980s, Strimple wasn’t exactly what the city big-wigs were looking for in a model. They wanted more of a “girl-next-door” appeal, and she simply didn’t have it. She was not about to let that deter her. “Any hurdles presented to me were merely that: hurdles that could be ducked under or jumped over,” says Strimple. Luckily, Albert Lidgi and Bob Mackie saw what the rest of us see now, and ultimately created the world-renowned Jan Strimple modeling brand.
A mentor to many, today Jan Strimple is a symbol of growth and success in the Dallas fashion industry. She is the founder of Jan Strimple Productions, a company that produces many of Dallas’s big fashion shows each year. Involved in multiple non-profits, Strimple is known for not only producing great shows but also putting passion into the cause. A few charities that are important to her are DIFFA, KidneyTexas, Girls, Inc. and Texas Health Resources in Ft. Worth, which according to Strimple produces the city’s largest fashion luncheon, raising money for breast cancer screening for the underserved in Tarrant County.
More than 20 years after her arrival in Dallas, Jan Strimple is still going strong. With a thriving business, a strong philanthropic hand and a garnered respect that can’t be bought, she is sincerely iconic. Her loyalty and dedication to our city is admirable, and I believe it’s safe to say that Dallas’s fashion industry wouldn’t be what it is today without her. In Strimple’s own words: “Dallas women embrace fashion and beauty without apology, and I applaud their attitude. These women have fashion chutzpah and high standards. We have both a thriving wholesale market and a vibrant retail market in Dallas. As long as both co-exist, Dallas will remain a mecca.”
