carel
The Carel family opened a shop in Paris in 1949 and was initially content with selling luxury shoes designed by Séducta or René Caty. The first original models were born in 1952 (among all, Babies and Marquis) which immediately won over prestigious customers. Among these Michèle Morgan, Brigitte Bardot and Sylvie Vartan, who consecrate the success of the firm. Around '72, founder Georges was joined by his son Tony ('47) who studied shoe design and technique in Milan. Together, they established a creative partnership with many designers (Chantal Thomass, De Castelbajac, Gaultier, Mugler, Beretta) and opened a boutique in Neuilly, 2 in Paris and 3 corners in the French department stores of Printemps, Parly 2 and Galeries Lafayette. The brand mixes materials and colors: zebra or panther prints, colorful crocodile, iridescent plastic, studded leather or enriched with rhinestones. In the 1980s, Tony broadened the company's horizons. He offers ready-to-wear for women, with a masculine line, and opens another shop, also in Paris, on Avenue Victor Hugo. In the 90s, Carel dressed a working woman, who needed comfortable clothes, but who did not give up seduction and wore sandals embroidered with beads. Two other stores opened in this period in Paris: in Bon Marché, on the left bank, and at 13 rue du Cercle du Midi. On average, the company sells 60 thousand pairs of shoes a year. In 2010 Frédérique Picard took the reins of Carel. In recent years, social networks and their influencers were born. In fact, a website was also created in 2012. Subsequently in 2014 the Kina model was created. In 2016 Carel collaborates with important faces including the Belgian designer Etienne Deroeux and with the Thai brand Sretsis. The company then signed a collaboration with Clara Cornet, fashion ambassador of New York, in 2017, and subsequently in 2019 with Manifattura Prelle, a Lyon silk house founded in 1752. Furthermore, in 2020 Carel launched the Carel Cares line, producing a line of eco-friendly shoes, designed with alternative materials.
