Carmen Tommaso French couturier Country: France

1. Biography of Carmen Tomaz
2. Early Challenges and the Birth of Carven
3. Expansion and Challenges
4. Later Years

Biography of Carmen Tomaz

Carmen Tomaz, a French fashion designer and founder of the fashion house "Carven," was born in the city of Châtelro, located north of Poitiers in the center of western France. She studied architecture and interior design at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. Standing at just 1.5 meters tall, Carmen constantly struggled to find clothing that fit her properly. Discovering an untapped market for petite women's clothing, she decided to create her own designs to cater to her own needs and open a fashion house for petite women.

Early Challenges and the Birth of Carven

Initially, Carmen's designs had a simple design aimed at satisfying people's desire to dress without overwhelming them with unusual cuts. She sewed ordinary cotton dresses in green stripes. Carmen made her first attempts at starting her own business in 1938, but they were unsuccessful due to the difficult economic situation in France, followed by the outbreak of World War II. In 1945, Carmen opened her first clothing store at 6 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, where the headquarters of the "Carven" brand is still located today. Over time, her designs became popular in Paris among the upper class and celebrities. Edith Piaf, in particular, wore her dresses. Since 1978, "Air France" flight attendants have been wearing uniforms made by "Carven." The clothing from "Carven" gained immense popularity in Egypt, Brazil, and Japan in the 1950s and 1960s. The popularity of Carven's models in these regions can be explained by the shorter stature of local women. Her first collection was simply called "Ma Griffe," which translates to "my brand" in French. In 1946, she launched a line of perfumes and eau de toilette. Her first perfume was also named "Ma Griffe" and was created by the legendary perfumer Jean Carles.

Expansion and Challenges

In 1955, Carmen created a collection of scarves and neckerchiefs and also launched a clothing line for girls called "Carven Junior." In 1956, she started sewing sweaters and cardigans. In the early 1960s, designer Marcel Fene developed a line of ready-to-wear dresses for "Carven." Difficulties in obtaining licenses in the 1980s and 1990s somewhat hindered Carven's activities. However, by the late 1990s, the business had recovered, and now the Carven house regularly creates new high-quality clothing collections.

Later Years

In 1984, the license for perfume production was bought out by the pharmaceutical company "Bicham." In 1998, the entire Carven business was acquired by the "Daniel Harlant Parfumeur Createur" group. Nevertheless, even in her advanced age, Carmen still actively participates in the business she founded over 60 years ago.