Façonnable Sloane Street London April 2022

Façonnable is a high-end men's and women's clothing brand founded in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

, France by Jean Goldberg in 1950. It is currently owned by

M1 Group M1 group is a diversified investment holdings group based in Beirut, Lebanon. Its CEO is Azmi Mikati. Origin The business was created in the early 1980s by Taha Mikati and Najib Mikati, the latter of whom became Prime Minister of Lebanon in ...

holding company A holding company is a company whose primary business is holding a controlling interest in the securities of other companies. A holding company usually does not produce goods or services itself. Its purpose is to own shares of other companies ...

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

History

The first shop, situated in rue Paradis in Nice, was opened by French master

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

, Jean Goldberg . The store was frequented by film stars in need of bespoke

tuxedo Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...

s and gowns for events such as the annual

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. Jean Goldberg's store gained great notoriety across the French Riviera, dressing stars of the era such as

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

and

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...

in Goldberg's unique style of classic tailoring with a modern twist. In 1961 Goldberg retired, his son Albert Goldberg took over the Nice workshop. Albert Goldberg learnt the art of cutting and finishing. He created a new fashion footprint shifting it to the

prêt-à-porter Ready-to-wear (or ''prêt-à-porter''; abbreviated RTW; "off-the-rack" or "off-the-peg" in casual use) is the term for ready-made garments, sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure Made-to-measure ( ...

(ready to wear) market. After a visit to New York's

Brooks Brothers Brooks Brothers, founded in Manhattan, New York, in 1818, is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in America. Originally a family business, Brooks Brothers produces clothing for men, women and children, as well as home furnishings. B ...

store, Albert Goldberg produced a collection of ready to wear outfits for men and renamed the business 'Façonnable', a variation of the word "Façonner" (English: "to shape").Our History
Façonnable In 1973, boutiques were opened along the Cote d'Azur in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

, Saint-Tropez, and in Marseilles. Throughout the 1970s, Goldberg began to collaborate with large American and European companies such as Sebago, Alden and Van's to create a shoe collection. In 1975, Albert Goldberg worked with

Loro Piana Loro Piana is an Italian company specialized in clothing and textile products. It is considered the largest cashmere manufacturer and the world's leading artisan company processing luxury fibers.Miles Socha and Luisa Zargani (28 October 2021)Loro ...

, the duo creating "Façorain", an invisible membrane allowing cashmeres and luxury wools to be wind and waterproof whilst retaining their texture and breathability. The first

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

ian boutique opened in 1984. In 1987, the brand diversified, releasing a collection of sunglasses and optical wear. In 1988, the chain entered into a distribution agreement with US department store chain

Nordstrom Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, a ...

. Façonnable released a line of wristwatches in 1990. Façonnable opened its first US boutique at

689 Fifth Avenue 689 Fifth Avenue (originally the Aeolian Building and later the Elizabeth Arden Building) is a commercial building in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 54th Street. The building ...

in New York City in October 1993. The French fashion house launched a unique collection geared for the modern, American woman. Two further US boutiques were opened in 1997 located on the West Coast. Following the success of its American women's collection, Façonnable released the range for general sale across Europe in 1999.

Ownership

Façonnable SAS was owned by the Goldberg family until the company was sold to Nordstrom Inc. in 2000 in a cash and stock deal worth $170 million. In September 2007, Lebanese

private equity In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a t ...

group

agreed to acquire Façonnable from Nordstrom Inc., for €152.985m Euro (US$210m). M1 Group is a

based in

, Lebanon. It was founded over forty years ago by

Taha Mikati Taha Mikati ( ar, طه ميقاتي; born in 1944) is a Lebanese billionaire businessman, the brother of fellow billionaire and current prime minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati. He is the co-founder of Investcom, the M1 Group, and the Mikati Foun ...

and his politically active brother

Najib Mikati Najib Azmi Mikati ( ar, نجيب عزمي ميقاتي; born 24 November 1955) is a Lebanese politician and businessman, and three-time Prime Minister of Lebanon whose current term began in September 2021. He also serves as the acting President ...

, the current and former Lebanese Prime Minister. The M1 Group covers a range of industries, including real estate, telecommunication, energy, aviation, cement and banking. M1 Group's CEO is

Azmi Mikati Azmi T. Mikati (born 21 September 1972) is a Lebanese businessman. He is the CEO of M1 Group, a company founded by his father and uncle. Early life He is the son of Taha Mikati and nephew of current Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati. Mika ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Faconnable High fashion brands Luxury brands Suit makers Clothing companies established in 1950 French companies established in 1950