Marchesa (brand)

History

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. 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

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

Products

Marchesa launched a handbag line, wedding dress line, Marchesa Bridal Couture, and collaborated with Lenox on dinnerware designs.

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

Weinstein controversy

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. 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.

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.

In June 2019, Craig announced her intention to leave Marchesa and was later replaced by Artur Sjakowska.

References

References

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