Dear Little Mermaids , today I take advantage of our Coffee Break and the release of the new one Pachamama COLLECTION to tell you a story that many of you probably don't know, that of the Bikini , one of the most famous but above all revolutionary creations of the last century. Curious?
Born July 5, 1946
In the aftermath of the Second World War, in 1946 , two bombs shocked the world which had recently returned to peace: the first, a bomb in the literal sense of the term, devastated the atoll of the Bikini Islands during a nuclear test, the second " a bomb of style ” hit Paris with the arrival of a new revolutionary item of clothing that shocked fashion as well as public opinion. It was the bikini , renamed by its creator Louis Réard in reference to the Bikini Islands (he probably already knew that it would change the world of fashion forever and shock the public). What led an automotive engineer to create one of the most famous items of clothing of the century?
It was 1940 when a young Louis Réard took the reins of his mother's lingerie business . In search of new insights, he noticed that on the beaches of Saint Tropez women rolled up the edges of their bathing suits to better sunbathe in areas covered by the bathing suit ( tanning was already in fashion, noble pallor was no longer in vogue ). In reality, what struck him was a creation by Jacques Heim called Atome or the first two pieces of the story, whose slogan read " The smallest costume in the world ". In truth, Heim's costume still covered his belly button. Réard created an even bolder and more “ skimpy ” costume. To publicize his revolutionary creation he rented planes that displayed the slogan “ Smaller than the smallest costume in the world ” in the skies. The item of clothing was scandalous . No model wanted to wear it to advertise it: too skimpy , too daring. Then a stripper from the Casino de Paris was chosen, one Michelle Bernardini , who had no objections as she was used to undressing in public. The official launch took place at the Piscine Molitor in Paris. The bikini caused a great scandal, but also a lot of noise. Men all over the world “went crazy” (as many as 50,000 marriage letters arrived at Bernardini). Yet a garment that looked so beautiful on the model Michelle still appeared too “ bold ” for normal women. The bikini did not experience immediate success. The Vatican expressed dissent and deemed it “ sinful ” and immoral. The bikini was banned in Spain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and Australia. In many US states it was prohibited until 1959. Everything changed when Brigitte Bardot wore it in the film " And God Created Woman " (1959). All the divas started wearing it and loving it. The two-piece became a symbol of the sexual revolution of the 60s and its rise was unstoppable. In 1967, according to Time, 67% of women in the world wore bikinis. The bikini is still one of the most loved and used women's items.
I'll leave you now, my cup of coffee is finished. I look forward to seeing you at the next appointment and don't forget to write to me if you liked the bikini story!