Girbaud

Franµois and Marithé Girbaud. French designers of ready-to-wear. A married couple in life and business, Franµois Girbaud (1945) and Marithé Bachellerie (1942) have made a notable impact on the world of jeans, casual and sportswear. In 1965 they launched their first jeans called Stonewash Denim. They opened their first boutique in 1969 and became famous for their initial alterations to classic American jeans with leather or lace inlays, variation in cut (flaring or baggy jeans), and treatment and ageing of the material. This was rapidly followed with a complete line of clothing and knitwear. The couple proposed 14 lines, which included: Compagnie des Montagnes et des Forêts for leather, Closed for jeans, Momento Due for men, and Dessine-moi une femme for women. They define their latest designs as high-tech creations due to the use of ultrasound, lasers and adhesive heat.
2002, June. At the 68th edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo, forty years of creativity from the French duo were celebrated with an exhibition entitled The Other Jeans: Il faut laver le jean des ses idées. From the first washing experiments to the last creations. From the invention of the stone wash to the last Blue Eternal, a denim which perfectly maintains its color even after a very frequent washing.