Repetto when fashion meets classical dance.
Synonymous with prestige in the world of dance for 70 years, Repetto is also a must-have brand in the realm of smart shoes. Famous for the iconic Cendrillon (French for Cinderella) ballet shoes, the brand is now offering a full range of leather goods, together with a Repetto ready-to-wear collection.
A Parisian house of design.
The brand's story began in 1947 in the French capital, when Rose Repetto, influenced by her son, a young dancer at the time, decided to set up a workshop near the Paris opera house to make dance shoes. It was in those modest premises that the wife and mother developed the sewing technique that was to make her famous: the stitch and turn. This technique, which consists of sewing the sole inside out and then turning it the right way around, means the shoes award the wearer an unparalleled level of suppleness and comfort. As soon as the first boutique opened in Paris in 1959, it became a favourite not only of professional dancers such as Maurice Béjart, but also of lovers of fashion. Three years earlier, the renown of Rose Repetto had already travelled beyond the world of dance thanks to Brigitte Bardot, who, by wearing leather Cendrillon ballet shoes in the film "And God Created Woman", had elevated the shoes to the rank of icons.
Ever since 2011, Repetto has been offering a collection of handbags, with its most popular pieces being its large tote and its leather shoulder bag. Most models are doted with a drawstring reminiscent of the ribbons on pointe shoes. A whole range of small Repetto leather goods is also available, together with keyrings bearing the firm's emblematic models: the Cendrillons and the Zizis, created for dancer Zizi Jeanmaire, and who boasted Serge Gainsbourg as ambassador.
From dance shoes to the world of luxury.
When Jean-Marc Gaucher took over at the helm of Repetto in 1999, he elevated it to a luxury brand and entered into partnerships with other brands and designers, like Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons, which allowed him to acquire international renown. In 2009, for the first time, Repetto teamed up with couturier Karl Lagerfeld, who revisited the absolute must-have Cendrillon ballet shoes. Being firstly a reference in the world of dance, then in the realm of smart shoes, the brand broadened its horizons in 2012 by going into ready-to-wear fashion, with the help of designer Emilie Luc-Duc. Inspired by the attire of dancers, Repetto's clothing collection enhances the human body in motion to absolute perfection and remains loyal to the codes the brand holds dear: lightness and grace.
Since its beginnings, Repetto has extensively broadened its range of shoes, today proposing leather boots along with moccasins and heels. The brand is still drawing on all-things artistic, by imagining models inspired by different types of dance. The following pieces from the collections stand out: