company industry fashion founded 1954 founder ada masotti headquarters bologna italy number of locations 150 area served worldwide key people silvio scaglia chairman julia haart creative director products lingerie beachwear sleepwear ready to wear accessories owner pacific global management website www.laperla.com la perla is an italian luxury lifestyle company owned by italian entrepreneur silvio scaglia through the pacific global management holding . 1 historically a lingerie brand la perla has expanded into lifestyle offerings including beachwear sleepwear bags shoes and ready to wear . founded by couturi re ada masotti in bologna in 1954 la perla is one of few historical fashion houses with a woman founder . 2 ada masotti was trained as a corset maker and went on to redefine lingerie as a fashion accessory . 3 the current creative director of la perla is julia haart who worked on accessories collaborations with the brand before her appointment in 2016 . 4 5 contents 1 history 1.1 founding 1.2 evolution 1.3 international expansion 1.4 special collections 1.5 acquisition and relaunch 2 products 2.1 lingerie 2.2 beachwear 2.3 sleepwear 2.4 women s ready to wear 2.5 menswear 2.6 bags and shoes 2.7 parfum 3 people 3.1 ownership and shareholding 3.2 designers 4 boutiques 5 publications 6 campaigns 7 references 8 external links history edit founding edit ada masotti with her husband antonio masotti in 1954 . la perla was founded by master corsetmaker ada masotti in 1954 in bologna italy where the tradition of silk factories and textile manufacturing dates back to the 17th century . 2 6 while working in a local atelier she was given the nickname golden scissors for her exacting cutting and tailoring abilities . 6 over time ada masotti adapted her corset expertise to different kinds of lingerie inventing styles and redefining how lingerie was considered and worn . 6 the company name was inspired by a box lined in red velvet similar to a jeweler s case in which the first collections were carried . with its perfect roundness the pearl la perla in italian was seen as a symbol of harmony luxury and femininity . evolution edit the masotti family redefined lingerie as a clothing accessory . 6 ada masotti would drape fabric directly on the female body achieving expert awareness of line and movement . 6 beginning in the 1950s when female silhouettes were accentuated in fashion ada masotti sought materials from italian and international production such as leavers lace woven on calais looms called dentelle de calais and tulle embroidered in northern italy and switzerland . 7 to adapt to the bright fashion statements of the 1960s la perla launched a lingerie line based on colorful floral and checked patterns alongside the more traditional white black and nude . in the 1970s la perla introduced the silk jersey triangle bra which allowed for free flowing movement and reflected fashion s preference for a smaller bust . in 1978 la perla launched its stretch lace sets echoing the fashion of the day with its clinging dresses and natural flowing lines . during the mid 1960s the founder decided to apply her knowledge of the female form to the beachwear sector launching the first collections of bikinis and swimsuits . international expansion edit finishing work for la perla maison collection . during the underwear boom that characterized the 1980s fashion scene the company started its international expansion under the guidance of alberto masotti the founder s son . alberto masotti s wife olga masotti was hired by ada masotti as a designer in 1972 . her work included a number of innovative pieces . in 1983 la perla introduced the under jacket a lingerie item designed to be visible under the suiting of the era . ada masotti also created la perla maison a collection featuring a range of garments in pure silk satin with embroidered inserts and frastaglio finishing employing a technique that to this day is carried out by hand by the artisans of the la perla atelier . 8 in 1994 la perla launched the sculpture bra that introduced a new way of thinking about underwear elegance was no longer the exclusive prerogative of materials like lace and tulle but represented by creations with harmonious styling made of smooth and soft fabrics . 9 special collections edit to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2004 la perla put together a collection made with valenciennes lace produced on ancient mechanic looms of calais the most important leavers lace centre in the world . 7 in 2006 actor daniel craig wore in the 007 casino royale movie a pair of grigioperla swimming trunks and this garment became a favourite in the la perla boutiques worldwide . 10 in 2012 christie s organized a special auction celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first bond film and the la perla trunks were sold for 44 450 . 10 la perla launched the cage bustier in 2007 worn by victoria beckham in the video of headlines the spice girls reunion song . a capsule cage collection was later launched including the cage top which received critical acclaim when worn by beyonc for her 2014 grammy awards performance . 11 12 in 2011 la perla began a collaboration with french couturier jean paul gaultier . 13 that same year la perla entered the shapewear sector with shapecouture which featured distinctive tailored cuts tulle inserts and openwork finishes . 14 acquisition and relaunch edit la perla s flagship boutique in aoyama tokyo . in june 2013 italian entrepreneur silvio scaglia and pacific global management purchased la perla at auction . 1 following the acquisition the company was relaunched with a new development strategy . in the same year la perla launched the made to measure line available in la perla s major flagship stores . 6 the service is dedicated to a select few exclusive creations which become one of a kind as they are made to measure sewn by hand personalized with an embroidered monogram and made precious by embroidery in gold thread . 6 15 the creations are only available by order . 6 la perla s first atelier collection showed during couture fashion week in paris in 2015 the brand s first runway show in paris . 16 the designs for the collection took more than 14 months to sew by hand . 16 the show was staged at the h tel salomon de rothschild and the pieces displayed at the la perla boutique in paris on rue du faubourg saint honor . top supermodels naomi campbell isabeli fontana natasha poly and lindsey wixson joined spring summer 2015 campaign stars izabel goulart sigrid agren and ming xi amongst the international models in the catwalk show . 17 products edit la perla maison gold edition top and culottes . lingerie edit la perla lingerie is known for its corsetry and detailing . founder ada masotti s motto was never compromise on quality and innovation . la perla s notable technique and materials include frastaglio appliqu technique leavers lace and embroidered tulle . 18 beachwear edit ada masotti made the foray into women s beachwear in 1965 launching the first collections of bikinis and swimsuits . sleepwear edit la perla produces sleepwear with the same materials and colours of its lingerie collections . women s ready to wear edit la perla announced that the ready to wear collection under the creative direction of julia haart focuses on the essentials of women s wardrobes incorporating 62 years of knowledge of the female form into the construction of suiting and shirting for women . 5 menswear edit in 1985 the company extended its production to men s underwear and beachwear . 5 in june 2014 la perla held the first menswear catwalk show at pitti uomo in florence presenting the new concept men s loungewear and beachwear collection . 5 the collection included raffia robes kimono inspired gilets and slim cut swimming trunks . 5 bags and shoes edit the company also produces accessories lines . current creative director julia haart has been designing shoes and bags collection since spring summer 2016 . 5 parfum edit the company expanded into perfume with their first fragrance named simply la perla in 1986 . 19 a fragrance for men named grigioperla was released in 1993 . 19 the bottles were created by designer pierre dinand . 19 people edit ownership and shareholding edit the company was led by founder ada masotti from 1954 to 1981 . her son alberto masotti who after earning a degree in medicine from the university of bologna decided to completely dedicate himself to the family business led the company from 1981 to 2007 . in october 2008 la perla was sold to jh partners a san francisco based private equity firm established in 1986 and focused on investments in services companies and luxury brands . 1 in june 2013 entrepreneur silvio scaglia and pacific global management purchased la perla at auction for 69 million 90 million . 1 pacific global management pgm also includes elite model management and women management . 20 following the acquisition the company was relaunched with a development strategy aimed at consolidating the identity of the brand . designers edit julia haart was appointed creative director of la perla in 2016 after working with the brand on accessories collaborations for two seasons . 5 haart s first collection for spring summer 2017 will present la perla s women s ready to wear offering . 5 haart developed her eponymous shoe label on the principle that sexy heels can be comfortable a design focused philosophy that translated to lingerie and womenswear with la perla . 5 boutiques edit la perla s flagship boutique in old bond street london . la perla sells its collections through a network of more than 150 flagship boutiques both owned and franchised in major cities around the world . the first la perla boutiques opened internationally in 1991 . it also has a presence in the main department stores and specialized shops . in 2014 italian architecture studio baciocchi associati who did interiors for miu miu and prada boutiques redesigned the interiors concept for la perla global flagships . the new design concept was adopted in the existing flagship stores such as the historic boutiques of sloane street in london via montenapoleone in milan and madison avenue in new york city as well as new boutiques such as the five storey building in old bond street in london the boutique in russell street in hong kong and the building in aoyama tokyo . 21 publications edit cover of la perla . lingerie & desire . in 1997 collaborations with italian photographer marino parisotto resulted in the publication of a photographic volume senso portraying new la perla styles . 22 senso was dedicated to the world of corsetry seen through the female gaze . 22 in 2012 rizzoli new york city published la perla . lingerie & desire the first monographic book dedicated to the brand and its evolution over almost sixty years . some chapters are dedicated to the history of the la perla products marketing the origins the 1960s the 1970s the 1980s and the 1990s and advertorial images while others are linked to symbolic aesthetic concepts such as black white body inspirations precious and eros . 23 campaigns edit the spring summer 2014 campaign shot by mert alas and marcus piggott with art direction by fabien baron and styling by ludivine poiblanc featured models cara delevingne liu wen and malgosia bela . the three supermodels were chosen to represent the many facets of a woman s world the guiding concept of the new la perla advertising campaign for their spring summer 2014 season . mert alas and marcus piggott under the artistic direction of fabien baron returned for the fall winter 2014 campaign whilst supermodels mariacarla boscono and daria strokous joined spring summer 2014 protagonist liu wen . the campaign began with the debut of