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Interview with Silvestre González, manager of Marie Claire
Pantyhose brand Eugenia de Montijo was founded in Castellón in 1907. In 1965, it was to become Marie Claire, a French name in keeping with the aesthetic reference of the day. After years of dedication, what started out as a family firm which made stockings was to become a leading brand of hosiery and pantyhose. Marie Claire has expanded its range over the years to include intimates (for men and women) and women’s swimwear under brands including Kler, One, Cherie as well as Marie Claire.
Since 1985, the company has been making its own spun thread and fibres and has become a master of innovative processes and materials technology. In 2004, it opened a logistics centre covering more than 15,000 square metres with the capacity to produce 490,000 garments a day. The figures speak for themselves: the company has some 1,000 workers and produces 5 million dozen pair of pantyhose, 1.6 million dozen pair of socks, 500,000 swimsuits, 500,000 lingerie items and 4.5 million seamless garments.
In the hundred years it has been operating, Marie Claire has created an extensive distribution network in multi-brand shops, covering international regions from the European Union to the Middle East and South America. It sells to countries like Britain, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Russia, Belgium, Costa Rica and Jordan, and takes part in fairs like SIL and Lyon (both in France) and Pitti Bimbo (Italy).
Its famous slogan Marie Claire, pantyhose for every woman, was one of the best known in the Seventies and helped it position itself in the market. Since then, its advertising campaigns have continued to reflect the women of today. To mark its centenary in 2007, it signed a joint venture with four Spanish designers – Hannibal Laguna, Amaya Arzuaga, Francis Montesinos and Ion Fiz, who are now designing for the brand.
