It all began in 1973 from the fashion capital of Paris before moving to the illustrious bay of Sydney Harbour, when Colette Foubert sailed to Australia with her husband Olivier and their four children. Eventually making their way to Adelaide with humble beginnings, Colette started in the fashion business with one machinist, some patterns and rolls of fabric spread across the floor.
She was the designer, Olivier the cutter.
As Caleche flourished and their four children grew up, they each in turn joined the family business. As society, style and economies change, Caleche has transitioned seamlessly to cater to the needs of the modern woman.
And now they have a brand new showroom to share along Chapel St Norwood, with sons Herve and Eric still at the helm.
With over 40 years of fine couture design experience spanning two generations, Caleche decided to move to the new premises in order to go back to basics and focus their energy on creating intimate journeys for brides; from first fitting, to final stitch.
Head designer Liz Foubert reflected on this at the launch, with every stitch sewn in their Adelaide workshop, every dress tailored exactly to suit the bride. The team is there every step of the journey and the most rewarding part is seeing the photo’s of the day.
The showroom itself is unassuming and raw, however every single fixture and reflects what Caleche is about. Eric has such pride and respect for every member of the team, every guest who has contributed to the journey. Even the timber is sourced locally. He has known the carpenter Nikola Bosatja for over 17 years; it is clear that the Caleche vision whispers from every fixture.
All of the floor and wall panels are raw and unpolished and the mirrors and furniture have been created from salvaged timber.
Caleche sources their fabric from countries such as Japan and France, and are now integrating contemporary design techniques to create bespoke one-off designs that literally cannot be recreated, constructed by hand from start to finish, made from high quality, detailed fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail.
Caleche epitomises these values.
Today, Caleche gowns are stocked in selected boutiques across Australia and New Zealand while the Calèche Bridal House is a fresh setting for brides-to-be to view the latest collections or have their dream gown made especially for them.
Caleche will feature as part of the SOLD OUT ‘Couture Culture’ runway on Friday 21 October. To discover more about Caleche visit the showroom at 43 Chapel St, Norwood, online via her website or follow the label on Facebook and Instagram.
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