La Redoute or the history of democratic fashion from Karl Lagerfeld to Jacquemus More than a catalog, a social mirror
Among the names that inhabit the French collective subconscious, few resonate as powerfully as La Redoute. More than a mere mail-order retailer, the Roubaix-based brand is a privileged witness to the mutations of our society. Through a major retrospective hosted at La Piscine, the entire history of the French silhouette and the status of women unfolds in the background.
The exhibition, structured chronologically, first plunges us into the 19th century and the Industrial Revolution. We discover the beginnings of a textile dynasty imagined by an entrepreneurial couple, Joseph and Catherine Pollet, supported by their son Charles. But very quickly, the exhibition transcends the family saga to embrace sociology. Parallel to the evolution of textiles, it is the changing condition of women that strikes the visitor. We move from the 19th-century factory workers to the housewives of the Trente Glorieuses (the post-war boom). One detail in particular leaves a lasting impression: the creation of the "Carte Kangourou" in the 1960s. Before 1965, French women needed their husband's consent to open a bank account or to work. With this card, La Redoute bypassed that obligation. A small rectangle of plastic became, almost in spite of itself, a tool for financial emancipation.
If La Redoute has made its mark on history, it is also through its visionary genius. Long before the hegemony of Amazon, the brand invented distance selling in the 1920s, publishing its very first catalog in 1928. An absolute pioneer, it mastered logistics before the internet age, introducing 48-hour delivery, followed by the legendary "24h chrono » -a true feat for the time.
Yet, the highlight of this retrospective lies in the intimate relationship La Redoute has maintained with fashion. Since the 1960s, the brand has never ceased to democratize style by inviting the greatest names into its pages. From Karl Lagerfeld to Anthony Vaccarello, through to the sun-drenched aesthetic of Simon Porte Jacquemus, La Redoute brought luxury within reach of a click (or a mail-order coupon). This commitment to fostering the next generation continues today. The exhibition highlights the brand's support for emerging labels from the Parisian scene, such as Jour/né (co-founded by Lou Menais), Mossi, and Maison Château Rouge.
It is a way of coming full circle: from the popular knitwear of Roubaix to the runways of Fashion Week, La Redoute remains, even today, the bridge between the street and couture.
