Object numberM2015/005:018
DescriptionThis document is a visa application form to enter Japan, filled out and handed in by John Hilton on 18th April 1969.
John Hilton was one of Sydney’s most successful fashion manufacturers. His success in Australia had its roots in a small town near Bratislava, where the parents of Gyula Heitler depended on his help in their general store. Here he learned how to buy and sell. Arriving from Europe in 1947, Gyula changed his name to John J Hilton and worked for his sponsor Alexander ‘Gigi’ Schwarz at Olympia Fashions, a dress shop in Pitt Street. Together with his elder brother Emil he started a business manufacturing ladies knitwear.
Adopting the trading name, John J Hilton, they looked around for what Australia might not have in fashion and decided to focus on women in their mid-twenties and older, offering them elegant frocks at a fair price. The dresses would be durable and not likely to go out of fashion quickly. He made up a slogan ‘It’s a Honey, It’s a Hilton’. The business grew to 100 employees. With showrooms around Australia and representatives in Paris, New York and London, John J Hilton was one of the first to export Australian fashion to Japan, as well as to Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and United States. A pioneer in the use of wool in women’s dresses, John J Hilton was the recipient of fashion awards, including the Australian Wool Award.
With this application form, Hilton applied for a visa for the period of 6th to 11th June 1969 with the purpose of "purchasing fabric and conference - Kintetsu & Co Osaka". He also gave information about a previous stay in Japan in April 1968. On its back side the document is stamped with a confirmation number "No. 51445 Sydney, 21 (?) April 1969." •
Kintetsu Corporation is a Japanese rail transit corporation, founded in Osaka in 1910.
John Hilton was one of the first people to export fashions to Japan and he went there, held fashion parades and dealt with Japanese industry leaders.
John Hilton was one of Sydney’s most successful fashion manufacturers. His success in Australia had its roots in a small town near Bratislava, where the parents of Gyula Heitler depended on his help in their general store. Here he learned how to buy and sell. Arriving from Europe in 1947, Gyula changed his name to John J Hilton and worked for his sponsor Alexander ‘Gigi’ Schwarz at Olympia Fashions, a dress shop in Pitt Street. Together with his elder brother Emil he started a business manufacturing ladies knitwear.
Adopting the trading name, John J Hilton, they looked around for what Australia might not have in fashion and decided to focus on women in their mid-twenties and older, offering them elegant frocks at a fair price. The dresses would be durable and not likely to go out of fashion quickly. He made up a slogan ‘It’s a Honey, It’s a Hilton’. The business grew to 100 employees. With showrooms around Australia and representatives in Paris, New York and London, John J Hilton was one of the first to export Australian fashion to Japan, as well as to Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and United States. A pioneer in the use of wool in women’s dresses, John J Hilton was the recipient of fashion awards, including the Australian Wool Award.
With this application form, Hilton applied for a visa for the period of 6th to 11th June 1969 with the purpose of "purchasing fabric and conference - Kintetsu & Co Osaka". He also gave information about a previous stay in Japan in April 1968. On its back side the document is stamped with a confirmation number "No. 51445 Sydney, 21 (?) April 1969." •
Kintetsu Corporation is a Japanese rail transit corporation, founded in Osaka in 1910.
John Hilton was one of the first people to export fashions to Japan and he went there, held fashion parades and dealt with Japanese industry leaders.
Production date
SubjectHolocaust, survivors, migration, migrants, visa, Jews in Australia, , business, fashion designers
Object nameimmigration documents
Dimensions
- width: 210.00 mm
height: 297.00 mm
Language
- English
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum Collection, Donated by Jeffrey Hilton