Remembering MMU Fashion Visionary Sister Aloyse

Mount Mary mourns the loss of Aloyse Hessburg, SSND, who passed away on March 2, 2025. Hessburg earned a bachelor's degree in home economics from Mount Mary University and later a master's degree in textiles from Drexel University. She was instrumental in founding the nation’s first four-year fashion degree program at Mount Mary University in 1965 and started the annual student fashion show, which continues to the present day. Hessburg brought her students to the runways of Chicago, New York and Paris, and built essential connections with local and national designers, merchandise buyers and manufacturers. She also began the Historic Costume Collection (now known as the Mount Mary Fashion Archive).

An accomplished creator in her own right, Hessburg’s work appeared on the runway in New York. In 1967 she designed and made a mother-of-the-groom dress for the wedding of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s daughter. The dress captured the attention of media outlets across the country and brought national attention to the Mount Mary fashion program.

In 1975 Hessburg received the Gimbels Fashion Forum Award for her important contributions to business, community leadership and fashion. In 2013 she received the Gold Needle Award from Mount Mary in honor of her 50-year commitment to fashion excellence and the fashion design program.

“I can’t begin to express how grateful I am to Mount Mary Fashion’s legendary Sister Aloyse,” shared alumna and fashion designer Donna Ricco. “She unfurled the world of fashion for me and countless others by leading a serious program of study that included partnerships and opportunities that inspired confidence and curiosity about possibilities to work in fashion.”

Ricco added that Hessburg’s patience, encouragement and expertise inspired her to pursue a successful career.

“When I started out in the fashion design program, I never imagined I’d leave Milwaukee to launch a successful fashion career in New York City," she said. “May her legacy be measured not by the years she lived but by the impact she made on my life and so many others.”

Read more about S. Aloyse Hessburg on the Mount Mary Digital Archive website.