Cadolle

Heavy velvet drapes, soft lighting and a very special atmosphere in the well-visited streets of Pigalle, where anything can happen. The story of the French family company Cadolle is an adventurous tale that begin with political unrest, the creation of the Eiffel Tower, the world's first bra, decadent boudoir styles and ends in the decadent Parisian cabaret and in the lingerie drawer of women over the whole world.

The year is 1889, and the political unrest in France causes Hermine Cadolle and her family to emigrate to Argentina, where Hermine begins to design beautiful handmade corsets of exclusive quality, under her own brand, which she names Cadolle. The beautiful corsets quickly become widely sought after, and the great popularity gives Hermine the opportunity to travel back to the French capital, and open another shop in the 9th arrondissement, close to the beautiful Opera Garniér.

In the same year, the French capital gets its iconic landmark, the Eiffel Tower, the city is developing rapidly, and there is a particularly innovative atmosphere in the cobbled streets, which also inspires Hermione. At the world exhibition held in Paris in 1889, Cadolle can boast of presenting the world's first bra, by splitting a corset into two parts, which she assigns the name "corsette-gorge". The creation takes the contemporaries and the better Parisian bourgeoisie by storm, and in 1911, Hermine's daughter, Marie Cadolle, moves the family's Parisian shop to Rue Cambon in the 1st arrondissement, which it the time attracted many of France's finest designers and luxury brands. Today, the Cadolle store can still be found on the now iconic street, side by side with Chanel and The Ritz.

Since then, Cadolle's designs have crossed paths with some of history's greatest designers, such as in 1925, when Hermine's granddaughter, Maguerite, designs the bra "the boyish form" for Coco Chanel, or in 1947, Great-granddaughter Alice Cadolle designs a waspie with the well-known designer, Marcel Rochas. In 1949, the post-war period, Cadolle receives many awards for its innovative and sensual designs, which bring decadence and a cabaret-like atmosphere directly from their studio to lingerie drawers worldwide. Among other things, Alice Cadolle is awarded the most prestigious award in the contemporary fashion industry: the Nieman Marcus award, which previously has been awarded to major designers such as Christian Dior.

The brand's popularity increases, and in 1989 they re-introduce the classic corset, which had otherwise been banished from the common woman's lingerie drawer, since it was associated with stiff and uncomfortable clothes. But with Cadolle's innovative eye for design, and extensive experience with materials and fit, the brand managed to create sensual corsets in far more comfortable materials. The daring styles quickly become a regular part of the Parisian Cabaret life, and the brand becomes a regular supplier of costumes for the iconic The Crazy Horse Cabaret in Paris, just as they also create styles for films. Today, Cadolle stores around the world stand as a little piece of Parisian decadence, ready to wear and take home.