140 years of innovation

1876

The birth

At the end of the 19th century, François Auguste Gamichon arrives in Paris and creates at 241 rue Saint Denis, the company that was later become Chantelle. At that time, women’s figures were still tightly corseted to enhance their curves.

1878

First innovations

Gamichon decides to open a factory at Romilly-sur-Seine , in the province of Aube. He produces the first elasticized fabrics, using a knitted material incorporating vulcanized rubber, which allows his conservation.  This new fabric, stretchable in two directions, opening up new possibilities not only for the makers of orthopedic devices but also for innovative corset makers.

1898

First member of the family Kretz

Gamichon teamed up with Paul-Maurice Kretz, his nephew. He is the first member of the kretz family. At this time, their products were exported till South America and they began to win gold and silver medals at the great industrial world’s fairs in Paris, London and Milan.

1936

Kretz Tulle

Jean Kretz, textile engineer,  invents “Kretz tulle”, a completely new stretch fabric which will, a few years later , lead to the launch of Chantelle girdles.

1949

Chantelle birth

Claude Kretz using the fabric invented by his father, Jean, created a girdle. At the same Time, Claude rediscovers the name Chantelle, copyrighted by his grandfather Paul-Maurice.Thus the Chantelle brand is launched, sealing its fame with the slogan, “chantelle, the girdle that never creeps up.”

1959

First prize at advertising film festival

Chantelle wins first prize at the International Advertising Film Festival in Cannes with its commercial for “fugue” .

1960

First bras

With the beginning of ready-to-wear fashion, Chantelle launches its first bras. Under the direction of Claude Kretz, Chantelle puts its know-how at the service of this new products and open a factory in Epernay.

1972

Defi, first molded seamless bra

The “Défi” becomes the first molded seamless bra on the market, overcoming technical challenges and offering real support.

1988

Passionata launch

The Passionata brand was launched by Patrice Kretz in the late 80s. At that time, women reaffirm their femininity, after years of androgyny. Passionata will quickly develop and break the codes with its advertising campaign "The Wolves".

1995

First stores Darjeeling

With the creation of the Darjeeling brand, the company extends its presence on a growing new distribution channel : specialised chain stores. Now there are 180 stores in France.

1996

Technical innovation

Influenced by its American market, Chantelle launches the first T-shirt-bra, “Essensia.” and masters the technical innovation of tee-shirt bra. 

2014

New era

Guillaume Kretz joins his father Patrice Kretz and proceeds to the internalization of the digital activities, creating a new departement : the Digital Lab, based in France and Berlin.

2017

Innovation Softstretch

Chantelle launches its first seamless line adaptable to any morphology, the one size “Soft Stretch” collectionIncredibly soft. Incredibly stretch. SoftStretch is Chantelle's innovative one-size-fits-all underwear line, designed to fit all bodies. It revolutionises the use and is a world sucess.

2018

Studio Chantelle

Chantelle Group launches a new international multi brand shop concept : the studio Chantelle. This concept store, built around a range of products from our different brands, offers a wide variety products, styles, prices. The environment is designed and created to offer our customers a unique and immersive shopping experience.

2020

Eco-friendly Collections

We are progressively integrating eco-conception into the creation of our collections. For us, it is a step towards progress, which goes beyond our impact on the environment. It implies innovation and improvement strategies.

2021

Chantelle One

After long months of research, in partnership with its suppliers,we offer Chantelle One, the first bra 100% recyclable and zero waste."buy it, wear it, send it back.”