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AFP-Relaxnews
Published
Mar 9, 2017
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Historic French swimwear brand eyes global re-launch

By
AFP-Relaxnews
Published
Mar 9, 2017

Iconic swimwear and resort brand Réard is set for a rebirth.


Micheline Bernardini, modelling the first bikini at the Molitor pool in Paris in 1946, holds a matchbox as a prop, part of designer Luis Réard's claim that the garment could fit inside. - ©AFP



The label, founded by French automobile engineer turned fashion designer Louis Réard, became an instant hit after it famously created the first two-piece swimsuit — dubbed the ‘bikini' — in 1946, but essentially languished following Réard's passing in 1984.

However, entrepreneur Richard Emanuel, who acquired the intellectual property assets of the brand a few years ago and is the brand's chairman, has now confirmed its re-launch this spring via a dedicated e-commerce platform, with department store distribution and branded retail stores set to follow.

According to a report in WWD, the company will be targeting the global luxury sector — swimwear will be priced from $200 up to $650 — with test pop-up locations to emerge next year at select resorts, and company-branded retail sites earmarked for 2019.

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