ESCADA is an internationally renowned luxury women’s fashion brand established in 1978. The Munich label stands for modern elegance, cool glamor and sensual femininity. Under the ESCADA and ESCADA SPORT product lines, the brand offers women’s fashion, shoes and accessories for everyday use, business and leisure, as well as glamorous evening wear. Fragrances, eyewear, watches and jewelry are also sold on a license basis under the ESCADA name.
origins
ESCADA was founded in 1978 by former Swedish model Margaretha Ley and her husband, German entrepreneur Wolfgang Ley. Margaretha Ley had trained as a dressmaker at the Royal Court in Stockholm and therefore had a keen sense of what discerning women wanted. As the brand’s chief designer, she created designs characterized by strong color combinations, opulent embroidery and eye-catching pattern combinations – in keeping with the extravagant style of the 80s. The first complete ESCADA collection for women was presented in 1978. The range quickly expanded to include accessories, shoes and jewelery and ESCADA developed into one of the best-known luxury fashion brands in Germany.
evolution
In the 1990s, ESCADA became increasingly popular. The most important supermodels such as Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford presented the brand in lavish advertising campaigns and catalogues. After the death of chief designer Margaretha Ley in 1992, the American designer Brian Rennie took over the creative direction of the company in 1994. Rennie rejuvenated the brand and, among other things, created the sporty and somewhat cheaper second line ESCADA SPORT, which still exists today.
Current
Today, ESCADA has made it its task to continually reinterpret its brand values in a contemporary way. The British Emma Cook most recently took on the role of creative director in 2019. According to the company’s website, the ESCADA Group operates in 24 countries in North America, Europe and Asia and is represented with around 1,100 sales outlets in 80 countries worldwide.