Marchesa is an American brand specializing in women's wear, based in New York City. It was established in 2004 by Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig.[1][2] Marchesa is known for designing dresses for several celebrities, including Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lopez, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, and Penélope Cruz.[3]

Marchesa
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryFashion
Founded2004
FounderGeorgina Chapman, Keren Craig
HeadquartersNew York City
ProductsWomen's dresses, wedding dresses, handbags, china
Websitemarchesa.com

History

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Marchesa is named after socialite Marchesa Luisa Casati. Founders Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig met at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. Chapman, a graduate of the Wimbledon School of Art, began her career as a costume designer. Craig graduated from Brighton Art College focused on print and embroidery design. Chapman's draping and design paired with Craig's textile creations resulted in the establishment of Marchesa in 2004.[4] Sienna Miller wore Marchesa on the cover of Vogue magazine's September 2007 issue (photographed by Mario Testino), which was the subject of the 2009 documentary, The September Issue.

Celebrities

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The brand has been worn on the red carpet by actresses like: Sandra Bullock at the 2010 Academy Awards, [5] Sarah Hyland at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, in 2016 Met Gala, Poppy Delevingne,[6] Karolína Kurková,[7] and Nina Dobrev.[8][9]

Products

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Vera Farmiga wearing Marchesa at the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010.[10]

Marchesa launched a handbag line,[11][12] wedding dress line, Marchesa Bridal Couture,[12] and collaborated with Lenox on dinnerware designs.[13]

In 2010, Marchesa collaborated with Le Métier de Beauty on a cosmetics line featuring the palettes of designers Chapman and Craig.[14]

Weinstein controversy

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The success of the brand among celebrities was in part attributed to the influence of Miramax producer Harvey Weinstein, Chapman's then-husband. Weinstein reportedly pressured actresses who appeared in his films to wear the brand.[15] After sexual abuse accusations against Weinstein emerged with allegations made by multiple actresses, Marchesa, once a mainstay of the red carpet, was shunned by celebrities attending various awards ceremonies in favor of other brands. In May 2018, Scarlett Johansson broke the months-long trend of red-carpet Marchesa avoidance by wearing a custom-made gown from the brand to the Met Gala.[16]

After the Weinstein scandal broke, the Fall 2019 collection was presented by couture design director Anna Holvik and Notte design director Ceazar Cabreros instead of Chapman and Craig.[17]

On June 25, 2019, Craig announced her intention to leave Marchesa and was later replaced by Artur Sjakowska.[18][19]

References

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  1. ^ "Georgina Chapman Goes Inside India's Slums With Nonprofit Magic Bus". Vogue.com. April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  2. ^ "Marchesa Spring 2013 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show". Vogue.com. September 12, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  3. ^ La Ferla, Ruth (February 22, 2007). "Fame and fear in Hollywood: Marchesa's fashion fairy tale - Style & Design - International Herald Tribune". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  4. ^ "Marchesa, The Old Normal as the New Exception". DEUX Magazine. March 7, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  5. ^ "Sandra Bullock Oscar BEST-DRESSED: Best Actress Voted Reader Favorite (PHOTOS)". HuffPost. May 8, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  6. ^ Tuck, Lauren. "Met Gala: What Everyone Wore". Yahoo. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  7. ^ Tuck, Lauren. "Met Gala: What Everyone Wore". Yahoo. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  8. ^ Tuck, Lauren. "Met Gala: What Everyone Wore". Yahoo. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  9. ^ Last2left | (September 27, 2017). "Familienstand, ledig oder verheiratet - Vielfalt an Lebensformen". Nachrichtenportal. Retrieved July 31, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ Melissa Magsaysay (March 7, 2010). "All the Rage - Oscar red carpet: Zoe Saldana, Vera Farmiga in full swirl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  11. ^ Chabbott, Sophia (September 1, 2009). "Marchesa to Launch Handbags for Spring". Wwd.com. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Marchesa". Marchesa.com. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  13. ^ "Marchesa by Lenox". 1.bloomingdales.com. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  14. ^ "The Marchesa x Le Métier de Beauté Cosmetics Collab Unveiled". The Cut. August 2, 2010. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  15. ^ Friedman, Vanessa; Bernstein, Jacob; Schneier, Matthew (October 13, 2017). "Fashion Breaks Its Silence on Harvey Weinstein Scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  16. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (May 8, 2018). "Scarlett Johansson Explains Why She Wore Marchesa to Met Gala". Variety. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  17. ^ Moore, Booth (February 15, 2019). "Marchesa RTW Fall 2019". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  18. ^ "Designer Keren Craig entschloss die Hochzeitskleid Marke Marchesa zu verlassen". Trauringe Gold (in German). July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  19. ^ Freeman, Hadley (February 25, 2020). "With Harvey Weinstein's conviction, the old excuses no longer apply". The Guardian.
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