Isabel Marant

Isabel Marant is a French house of fashion founded in 1994 by designer Isabel Marant. Originally consisting only of a line of jerseys and knitwear, the brand is currently most popular for its shoes, which have been worn by many celebrities, including Kate Bosworth, Katie Holmes,Anne Hathaway and Hilary Duff.

History

The brand was launched, initially in 1990 under the name "Twen," before being renamed Isabel Marant in 1994. The first runway collection was shown in Spring/Summer 1995. In 2000, Marant expanded her brand by adding "Etoile," which is designed to be more affordable and casual than the signature brand. The company has 10 shops worldwide: Paris, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul, Los Angeles, Beijing, Madrid, Beirut, London and has retailers in more than 35 countries.

When Isabel Marant collaborated on a design collection for high street giant H&M in 2003, the line sold out in minutes online and caused the retailer's website to crash. In her collaboration with H&M, Marant said, "The nice thing with H&M is they don't want to try to do a cheap version of your own collection… They really respect the DNA of designers." The clothing has been described as a "combination of androgynous chic and bohemian nonchalance." Since its inception, the brand has increased 30% in sales each year.

Marant

Marant is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.

Geography

Marant is situated 3 miles (5 km) east of Montreuil-sur-Mer, on the D129 road.

Population

See also

Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department

External links

Fashion week

A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, wherein fashion designers, brands or "houses" display their latest collections in runway shows to buyers and the media. Most importantly, these events let the industry know what's "in" and what's "out" for the season.

The most prominent fashion weeks are held in the fashion capitals of the world, the "big four" receiving the majority of press coverage being New York, London, Milan and Paris. Other notable weeklong fashion events are held in cities around the world.

History

There are many fashion weeks worldwide. In 1943, the first New York Fashion Week was held, with one main purpose: to distract attention from French fashion during World War II, when workers in the fashion industry were unable to travel to Paris. This was an opportune moment, as "before World War II, American designers were thought to be reliant on French couture for inspiration."

The fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert organized an event she called "Press Week" to showcase American designers for fashion journalists, who had previously ignored their works. Press Week was a success, and, as a result, magazines like Vogue (which were normally filled with French designs) began to feature more and more American innovations. Until 1994, shows were held in different locations, such as hotels, or lofts. Eventually, after a structural accident at a Michael Kors show, the event moved to Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library, where it remained until 2010, when the shows relocated to Lincoln Center.

Isabel

Isabel (/ˈɪz.ə.bɛl/) is a Romance-language given name. It is related to Isabelle (French, Dutch, German, Catalan, Provençal), Isabella (Italian), and the English Elizabeth.

Etymology

This set of names is a southwestern European variant of the Hebrew name Elisheva, also represented in English and other western languages as Elizabeth. It first appeared in medieval Provençal as Elisabel. Guido Gómez de Silva states that these names are derived from the Latin and Greek renderings of the Hebrew name based on both etymological and contextual evidence (the use of Isabel as a translation of the name of the mother of John the Baptist).

The variant form originated through the loss of the first syllable and the replacement of final /t/ with /l/ (as /t/ does not appear word-finally in standard Spanish). Both forms of the name exist concurrently in Italian (Isabella and Elisabetta) and French (Isabelle and Élisabeth). Both names have been borrowed into multiple other languages, giving rise to various local forms.

Paris Fashion Week

Paris Fashion Week is a clothing trade show held biannually in Paris, France with spring/summer and autumn/winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the French Fashion Federation. Currently, Fashion Week is held in the Carrousel du Louvre, as well as at various other venues throughout the city. In addition to ready-to-wear shows, there are men's and haute couture shows, which are held semiannually for the spring/summer and autumn/winter seasons.

The Big 4

Paris Fashion Week is part of the global "Big 4" fashion weeks, the others being London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week. The schedule begins with New York, followed by London, and then Milan and ends in Paris.

Fashion Week Origins

Fashion Week comes from early fashion showings in Paris. A fashion week consists of a week of organized events of multiple designer’s collections. After parties are also noted to be a tradition. Before this organized event was recognized in New York, fashion showings were being held in Paris as early as the 1700’s. These early showings were only to clients purchasing items and were shown on mannequins. In the 1800’s, showings began to change. Charles Frederick Worth, noted for haute couture, began showing multiple pieces together and of a higher design. Jeanne Paquin is the first designer to make her showings public and Paul Poiret is the first to host parties after his events.