Carven
Balmain
April 24, 2020Celine
April 24, 2020
Carmen de Tommaso was a fashion designer born in France in 1909, noted for her designs for petite women, her use of lightweight fabrics such as lace and pink gingham, and for being one of the first couturieres to launch a prêt-à-porter line. She renamed herself Marie-Louise Carven, after a contraction of her first name and that of her aunt, Boyriven, and she created the brand Carven in Paris in 1944.
An enthusiastic traveler, Carven traveled the world many times and was inspired by her travels to become one of the first designers to use African and Indian motifs in her work, including the famous batik. She was also was an inventive marketer - in 1946, she publicized the launch of her first perfume by parachuting hundreds of sample bottles across Paris. After Carven retired in 1993, the brand went through many management changes. In 2009, a newly appointed creative director, a young Guillaume Henry, revived Carven, transforming the brand into the darling of fashion editors.
