Chantal Thomass (b. 1947) began her career in fashion in the early 1970s, with the creation of her first label Ter et Bantine. In 1975, she launched her eponymous ready-to-wear brand. She was one of a clique of designers dubbed “The Young Designers”, known for pushing the envelope in French fashion. Thomass, along with Thierry Mugler and Kenzo Takada, started producing small, independent fashion shows that were the nucleus for what would later evolve into French Fashion Week. In the 1980s and 1990s, she received acclaim for re-envisioning women’s intimate apparel as playful-yet-sexy, couture-inspired, and worthy of its own runway show. In the ’90s she briefly lost the right to her own name, but was able to rebound by diversifying her brand, launching fragrance, make-up, eyeglasses and houseware lines. In 2004, she opened a lingerie boutique in Paris, which has since closed its doors permanently. In 2018, it was announced that Chantal Thomass would step down from designing for her lingerie label, with plans to pursue a variety of artistic endeavors including collaborating with a burlesque revue.
Written by Ranch Queen Vintage
