La Redoute: always one step ahead. Fashion, design, advertising.
Born out of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, the city of Roubaix has forged a strong identity centred on the textile industry. La Redoute, founded in 1837 by Joseph Pollet, is above all a story of daring entrepreneurs who made their home in Roubaix. The La Piscine museum tells the story of this success story, which began with a family-run spinning mill renowned for its fabrics and knitwear of rare finesse. Over time, the brand became a leader in mail-order retail in Europe before establishing itself as a major player in French e-commerce in the ready-to-wear and home décor sectors.
A visionary brand, it laid the foundations for modern retail with a series of major innovations: making fashion accessible to all with the first mail-order catalogue in 1928, the ‘Home, Furnishings and Leisure’ department in 1956, the Kangourou credit card in 1968, the ‘Guest Designer’ scheme from 1969, the Minitel service in 1982, and ‘48 h Chrono’ in 1984, which was later changed to ‘24 h Chrono’ before the internet revolution arrived. These innovations have marked its history.
The exhibition aims to trace, beyond this commercial revolution, the role played by La Redoute in the evolution of society and consumer habits. Drawing on its archives, the exhibition presents advertisements, sales catalogues, personal accounts, postcards, photographs and garments as part of a journey full of discoveries. This retrospective also highlights collaborations with renowned couturiers and ready-to-wear designers (Yves Saint Laurent, Issey Miyake, Azzedine Alaïa, Sonia Rykiel, Jacquemus, Kevin Germanier…), leading designers (Sam Baron, Constance Guisset, Philippe Starck, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Christian Lacroix) and celebrity shoots photographed by Dominique Issermann and Kate Barry, amongst others.
Curated by
Karine Lacquemant, Curator of Applied Arts Collections at La Piscine – André Diligent Museum of Art and Industry; Sylvette Lepers, Head of Designer Partnerships & Image at La Redoute; and Sandrine Tinturier, Head of Archives at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation.
This exhibition is made possible thanks to the exceptional support of La Redoute.
The set design has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Tollens paints.