Louis Réard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louis Réard
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| Born | 10 October 1896 France
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| Died | 16 September 1984 (aged 87) |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | automobile engineer, fashion designer |
| Known for | Inventor of modern bikini design |
Louis Réard (born 10 October 1896 – died 16 September 1984) was a French engineer and clothing designer. He is famous for creating the modern two-piece bikini swimsuit in July 1946. Réard later opened a bikini shop and ran it for 40 years.
Creating the Bikini Swimsuit
Louis Réard was first an engineer who worked with cars. Around 1940, he took over his mother's business. She owned a shop that sold lingerie, which is a type of clothing. Réard then became a clothing designer in Paris.
While visiting beaches in Saint Tropez, he noticed something interesting. Women would roll up their swimsuits to get a better tan. This gave him an idea to design a swimsuit that showed the middle part of the body.
In May 1946, another designer named Jacques Heim made a two-piece swimsuit. He called it the "Atome," meaning "atom." Heim said it was the "smallest bathing suit" in the world. He even hired planes to write messages in the sky to advertise it.
Réard quickly made his own swimsuit design. It was a very small two-piece suit. It used only a tiny amount of fabric.
Naming the Bikini
Réard showed his new swimsuit to the public in Paris on 5 July 1946. He held the event at Piscine Molitor, a popular swimming pool. He named his new design the bikini.
He chose this name because of a big event that happened just four days earlier. The first test of a nuclear weapon took place at the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Newspapers were full of news about this test. Réard hoped his swimsuit would also create a big sensation.
To compete with Heim, Réard also hired planes to fly over the French Riviera. They advertised his design as "smaller than the smallest bathing suit in the world." Photos of his swimsuit and articles about it appeared in many newspapers. Réard applied for a patent for his design soon after.
Two-piece swimsuits had existed since the 1930s. But Réard's bikini was different and caused a lot of talk. It was the first time a swimsuit showed the wearer's navel (belly button).
Promoting the Bikini
The bikini quickly became very popular. Many people, especially men, loved it. Réard's business grew very fast.
He had a clever way to promote his design. He often said that a swimsuit was not a real bikini "unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring." This showed how small and daring his design was.
To help sales even more, Réard did something unique. He asked a car expert named Chapron to build a special "road yacht." This was a regular car, a Packard V8, changed to look like a luxury boat. It had portholes, an anchor, and a signal mast. This car was not meant for water.
The "road yacht" went on advertising tours in the early 1950s. It even followed the Tour de France bicycle race. A group of girls wearing bikinis rode in the car. This caused a big stir in France at the time.
Later Life
After his success, Réard opened a bikini shop in Paris. He continued to sell swimsuits for 40 years. In 1980, Réard and his wife, Marcelle, moved from France. They went to Lausanne, Switzerland. Louis Réard passed away in Lausanne in 1984. He was 87 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Louis Réard para niños
