Cacharel

Cacharel (French: [kaʃaʁɛl]) is a French brand of ready-to-wear clothing, perfume and accessories, founded in 1962 by Jean Bousquet. Cacharel designs are characterized by their youthful style, femininity, lightness, refinement, and use of bright colours.

History

Cacharel was created in 1962 by Jean Bousquet, in Nîmes, who founded the company of the same name in 1964. Cacharel is named after the local name of the garganey (Anas querquedula, a small duck) in the Camargue (cacharel, standard French sarcelle d'été).

Jean Bousquet was the son of a sewing machine salesman; he was immersed in the world of clothes making since childhood. He trained to be a tailor at a technical college and worked for two years as a designer before returning to Paris to found his own fashion house in Le Marais. The success of his first collection inspired him to create Cacharel.

Cacharel designs are characteristic for their youthful style, femininity, lightness, refinement and use of bright colours. The presentation of the first blouse collection in Paris brought attention for its cheerfulness and the modern vision of women that it represented. The introduction of the seersucker blouse and a front cover in ELLE magazine in 1963 launched Cacharel onto the international stage.

In 1975 Bousquet commissioned L'Oréal to create a perfume for his brand; the successful Anaïs Anaïs was launched in 1978. It was followed by Cacharel pour l'Homme, Loulou, Eden, Loulou Blue, Eau d'Eden, Noa, Nemo, Gloria, Amor Amor, Amor Amor Eau Fraiche, Noa Fleur, Noa Perle, Promesse and Amor pour homme. The latest perfume to be launched is "Liberté", an orange chypre with fresh citrous top notes inspired by a traditional French cake called 'chamonix' and woody heart and base notes with patchouli. The person representing Liberté in ad campaigns is Brazilian born model, Gisele Bündchen, who is also the new face for the brand Cacharel Parfums, following Kate Moss who modeled for Anaïs Anaïs and Laetitia Casta for Promesse.