Guy Laroche

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Guy Laroche, French fashion designer (born in La Rochelle, France, 1921 — died 1989), and founder of the eponymous company.

Laroche began his career in millinery and, from 1949, Laroche worked for Jean Desses and eventually became his assistant. 1955, he visited the U.S. to investigate new ready-to-wear manufacturing methods. 1956 or 1957, he founded a high-fashion atelier at 37 avenue Franklin Roosevelt, Paris. In his first collection that was favorably received, he reintroduced vibrant colors such as pink, orange, coral, topaz and turquoise. His clothes also featured plunging neck and back lines. Known as being humble and gracious—as opposed to the haughty nature of most Parisian designers—he designed haute-couture but practical clothing for women. And, for the American market, he was one of the first to create separates.

1961, he moved to larger quarters, a townhouse at 29 avenue Montaigne, Paris; opened a boutique there; and introduced his first ready-to-wear collection.

1966, Laroche introduced Fidji, his first women’s fragrance; designed men's ready-to-wear; and opened the Guy Laroche Monsieur boutique. There were other fragrances: 1977 J'ai Oise, 1982 Drakkar Noir toilette water for men, 1986 Clandestine and 1993 Horizon men's cologne.

Five years after Laroche’s death, Michel Klein (b. 1959) became the head designer in 1994. (An autodidact, Klein sold sketches of prints to Yves Saint-Laurent at age 15, was an assistant at Dorothée Bis at age 17, and has designed for his own ready-to-wear label since 1981.)

1997, Alber Elbaz, formerly an assistant to Geoffrey Beene, worked at Laroche. But, by this time, the enterprise had become overly conservative and lackluster. Even so, Elbaz assisted in updating the collection and somewhat enhanced the image of the firm, whose activities then included the management of 15 boutiques and 70 license agreements worldwide. (Today, the licenses number 87.)

In the mid-1990s, Klein helped the firm to make the transition from haute couture to couture ready-to-wear, a vaguely defined fashion category possibly indicating expensive off-the-rack clothing. Klein explains, “Fashion is no longer their [rich women's] prime concern; they are no longer prepared to wait for three fittings to have their clothes, nor to spend the same amounts of money as before. Clothes have to be adapted to their needs, their way of life and consumption patterns” (interview by Anne Rapin).

September 1, 2004, Hervé L. Leroux (b. Bapaume, France, May 30, 1957) became the artistic director of the House of Guy Laroche and designs the prêt-à-porter collection. (From 1981, Laroux assisted Karl Lagerfeld first at Fendi then Lagerfeld at Chanel. 1985, Laroux established his eponymous label and worked for Maryll Langin at Lanvin haute couture. March 1999, he lost control of his label and, likewise, his name and, 2000, opened a couture and prête-à-porter shop at 32 rue Jacob, Paris, before joining the Guy Laroche organization.)

From 1968, Guy Laroche was part of the Bic Group. Subsequently, Swiss investment group Leman Capital owned the firm which was in turn acquired by YGM Trading Company June 25, 2004. Today, Samuel Chan is the present, and Jean-François Ferrandiz is the general manager.