André was established in New York in the early 1930s by Leonard Schwartzback and Pearl L. Alexander (later, Pearl Lipman). The company sold designs for women's suits and coats to garment manufacturers on a weekly subscription basis. Schwartzback acted as salesman, while Alexander directed the design department. After Alexander retired in the 1970s, Schwartzback sold André, including its fashion design sketches, to Creators Studios, and shepherded the transfer of his client list to the new firm.

Creators Studios was established in New York around 1957 by Walter Teitelbaum, Leo Boren, and Howard Steel. Like André, Creators Studios sold fashion designs in sketch form to manufacturers. The company promised to deliver the latest trends to subscribers. By the mid-1970s, only Teitelbaum remained of the original partners. After Schwartzback sold his business to Teitelbaum, Creators Studios began incorporating details of André designs into new products.

Creators Studios closed in the early 1980s.

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Source: letter from Walter Teitelbaum, 2000.

André designs are exclusively for women's suits and coats and children's coats, prominently signed by Pearl Alexander. Earlier André designs are vibrantly hand-colored, while later designs are reproduced in black-and-white.

The André Series contains drawings produced by Pearl Alexander, collectively titled "Fifth Avenue Reporter" and "Summer Resort Reporter" with the byline, "as seen by Pearl Alexander." These drawings, which are sometimes briefly annotated, function as visual reportage on upcoming fashion trends. Alexander's reports promised to help manufacturers prepare for consumer demand. Also of note is a February 1963 sales memo authored by Alexander. Addressed to Andre's clients who were receiving the designs on a subscription basis, the memo outlines trends for the Fall 1963 season.

Creators Studios' prints of design drawings encompass women's coats, dresses, lingerie, sportswear, and suits. Many of the early Creators Studios design drawings are signed by Howard Steel, while later drawings are unsigned. Like the André drawings, the Creators Studios drawings are hand-colored, with the exception of lingerie designs. The run of Creators Studios designs is more complete than the André designs.

A large percentage of the designs featured in both firms' drawings are labeled "adaptations" or "import adaptations," indicating they were based on designer apparel. The André designs feature codes indicating which couture designer inspired a particular outfit. A code key will be found in Box 1, Folder 11.

The Abe Grubère papers at Yeshiva University Museum contain André fashion designs by Pearl Alexander dating from 1933 through 1966 (Series II. Other Designers, 1922-1960). The Abe Gruber Archives at the Brooklyn Museum also include fashion designs by Pearl Alexander for André.