Everything you need to know about: ESCADA

ESCADA is an internationally well-known luxury brand for women's fashion that was founded in 1978. The Munich-based label stands for modern elegance, cool glamour and sensual femininity. Under the ESCADA and ESCADA SPORT product lines, the brand offers womenswear, shoes and accessories for everyday, business and leisure wear as well as glamorous evening attire. Perfumes, eyewear, watches and jewellery are also sold under licence in the ESCADA name.

Origins

ESCADA was founded in 1978 by the former Swedish model Margaretha Ley and her husband, the German businessman Wolfgang Ley. Margaretha Ley was trained as a seamstress at the Royal Court in Stockholm and therefore had a keen sense of what discerning women wanted. As head designer of the brand, she created designs characterised by bold colour combinations, opulent embroidery and eye-catching pattern combinations - perfectly matching the extravagant style of the 80s.

The first full ESCADA collection for women was presented in 1978. The range quickly expanded to include accessories, shoes and jewellery and ESCADA developed into one of the best-known luxury fashion brands from 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 elaborate advertising campaigns and catalogues. After the death of head designer Margaretha Ley in 1992, US designer Brian Rennie took over the creative direction of the company in 1994. Rennie rejuvenated the brand and launched the sporty and more affordable second line ESCADA SPORT, which still exists today.

News

Today, ESCADA is committed to continually reinterpreting its brand values in a contemporary way. Most recently, British fashion designer Emma Cook 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 has around 1,100 sales outlets in 80 countries worldwide.