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

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionM1 Group, a

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

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, Lebanon.

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 North American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal ...

s and gowns for events such as the annual

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. Jean Goldberg's store gained great notoriety across the

French Riviera The French Riviera, known in French as the (; , ; ), is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is considered to be the coastal area of the Alpes-Maritimes department, extending fr ...

, dressing stars of the era such as

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

and

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...

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 Ready-to-wear (RTW)also called ''prêt-à-porter'', or off-the-rack or off-the-peg in casual useis the term for garments sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing tailored to a partic ...

) market. After a visit to New York's

Brooks Brothers Brooks Brothers Inc. is an American clothing brand founded in 1818 which is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in the United States. Originally a family business, it is currently owned as a joint venture between Authentic Brands G ...

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 ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

Saint-Tropez Saint-Tropez ( , ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (department), Var departments of France, department and the regions of France, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. It is west of Nice and east of Marseille, o ...

, and in

Marseilles Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean S ...

. 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 S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion brand specialized in textile manufacturing and ready-to-wear clothing headquartered in Milan, Italy. Since its start as a merchant of cashmere, vicuña, linen and merino fabrics, Loro Piana expa ...

, 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, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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 goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and a seco ...

. Façonnable released a line of wristwatches in 1990. Façonnable opened its first US boutique at 689 Fifth Avenue 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 Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...

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

based in

, Lebanon. It was founded in the early 1980s by Taha Mikati and his politically active brother

Najib Mikati Najib Azmi Mikati (born 24 November 1955) is a Lebanese politician and businessman who served as the 52nd prime minister of Lebanon from 2021 to 2025. He previously served in this post as the 48th and 45th prime minister from 2011 to 2014 and i ...

, 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.

References

External links

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