Cacharel

Cacharel is a French ready-to-wear brand founded by Jean Bousquet in Paris, in 1958. Bousquet studied tailoring at the Ecole Technique de Nîmes. After an apprenticeship there, he left for Paris, where he launched his clothing business, naming it after a small local duck from the Camargue region. In 1962, the company was trademarked as “Jean Cacharel”, and in 1963, a close-fitting crepe shirt based on the traditional man’s shirt was featured on the cover of ELLE magazine, creating an international sensation. Known for its youthful and romantic style, Cacharel began making their popular shirts from Liberty prints, and diversified into menswear and children’s clothing. In 1969, Cacharel launched its first perfume, Anaïs Anaïs, which became a best-seller.

From 1983 to 1995, Jean Bousquet held the office of Mayor on Nîmes with plans to turn the city into a major cultural center. In 1996, he was convicted and sentenced by a criminal court in Nîmes to one year in prison and one year of parole and fined 400,00 francs ($76,000 USD) for corruption and fraud, stemming from over-billing on construction projects during his tenure as Mayor.

In 2000, husband and wife design team Clements Ribeiro were hired as head designers for Cacharel, and in 2002, Celia Birtwell joined Cacharel as a fabric designer. During the financial downturn of 2009, Cacharel was forced to close its only Paris boutique. The company experimented with a strictly e-commerce presence for its ready-to-wear lines, and moved away from Liberty prints. In 2016, Cacharel opened a new boutique in Paris, and has continued to stay current with the ever-changing marketplace. The company is still family owned, with the Bousquet family still the majority shareholder.

Written by the VFG