please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations . please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations . december 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . december 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message groupe chantelle type public limited company industry textile industry founded 1876 headquarters 8 10 rue de provigny 94230 cachan france key people mr gamichon who maurice kretz jean kretz claude kretz patrice kretz products corsetry lingerie swimwear tights net income annual turnover 370.000.000 owner pr sident directeur g n ral patrice kretz number of employees 6200 divisions chantelle passionata darjeeling orcanta femilet chantal thomass livera website www.groupechantelle.com the groupe chantelle is a french lingerie company . it produces several lingerie brands on an international scale . contents 1 history 2 brands 3 bibliography 4 external links history edit the roots of the groupe chantelle go back to the 19th century specifically 1876 when mr gamichon who founded a company specialising in the manufacturing of elastic knits . he tapped the discovery of the vulcanisation of rubber which allows improved conservation . the products were then exported all the way to latin america . in 1898 he went into partnership with his nephew paul maurice kretz the first representative of the kretz family . the company changed its name becoming les etablissements kretz . in 1902 les etablissements kretz launched production of its line of corsets with elastic bands focused on comfort . in 1936 jean kretz took over the company rebranding it snek soci t nouvelle des etablissements kretz . he then invented an elastic fabric with the width and height which would allow the chantelle corsets to be launched several years later . his son claude kretz took over the business in 1949 and launched the production of corsets . he brought back the chantelle name inherited from his grandfather paul maurice . at this point the chantelle brand is first introduced quickly establishing its reputation . in 1960 snek started to produce bras with the construction of its first factory in pernay in the north of france . the company then launched its f te model made of calais lace then in 1972 it launched its d fi model the first moulded bra . bras soon became the company s development engine and in 1976 it changed its name to chantelle sa . in 1962 the group grew and started investing in the european market with the establishment of its first branch in germany then in the benelux countries and switzerland . today the group has 15 international branches . it is the largest french exporter of women s lingerie . in 1985 patrice kretz current pr sident directeur g n ral joined the group . in 1988 he suggested the launch of a younger more affordable brand passionata . the success was immediate . in the late 1990s passionata started to be distributed on a massive scale . in 1993 the inauguration of the american branch in new york marks the group s expansion beyond europe . in 1995 chantelle sa launches darjeeling the group s first brand sold exclusively in its own retail outlets . the network gained further strength in france . in 2006 the group made the acquisition of the orcanta retail network a new distribution channel . between 2010 and 2011 the group expanded with the acquisition of the danish brand femilet and the designer brand chantal thomass . in 2014 the group acquired livera a dutch multi brand company based near amsterdam . the livera shops sell women s lingerie products swimwear and nightwear . brands edit the groupe chantelle owns the following brands and networks chantelle passionata darjeeling orcanta femilet chantal thomass livera bibliography edit chantelle paris anne zazzo editions assouline category m moire de la mode 2010 lingerie fran aise xix xxi century catherine ormen editions plon 2012 external links edit official website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title groupe chantelle & oldid 711487369 categories lingerie brandscompanies established in 1876clothing companies of france1876 establishments in francehidden categories articles lacking in text citations from december 2014all articles lacking in text citationsarticles needing additional references from december 2014all articles needing additional referencesall articles with specifically marked weasel worded phrasesarticles with specifically marked weasel worded phrases from january 2016official website different in wikidata and wikipedia navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in namespaces article talk variants views read edit view history more search navigation main pagecontentsfeatured contentcurrent eventsrandom articledonate to wikipediawikipedia store interaction helpabout wikipediacommunity portalrecent changescontact page tools what links hererelated changesupload filespecial pagespermanent linkpage informationwikidata itemcite this page print export create a bookdownload as pdfprintable version languages fran ais edit links this page was last modified on 23 march 2016 at 04 53 . text is available under the creative commons attribution sharealike license ; additional terms may apply . by using this site you agree to the terms of use and privacy policy . wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation inc. a non profit organization . privacy policy about wikipedia disclaimers contact wikipedia developers cookie statement mobile view