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Marie-France Cohen is a French fashion designer,[1] entrepreneur and philanthropist specializing in creating luxury children's clothing.
Biography
editBorn in March 1944 in Aix-en-Provence[2] into an aristocratic Jewish Sephardic family, the career of Marie-France Goutal[1] in the world of fashion and design begins with the launch of the luxury children's clothing brand Bonpoint[3] in 1975, which she co-founds with her husband, Bernard Cohen, whose last name she takes.[2]
In 2003, the fund Edmond de Rothschild Capital Partners acquires 70% of the Bonpoint company.[1]
Following the success of Bonpoint and the funds obtained from the sale of shares to the Rothschild Group, Marie-France Cohen launches another venture, the concept store Merci, in 2009, with the first concept store located in the The Marais district of Paris. The store quickly gains popularity for its blend of commercial innovation and social consciousness.
In parallel with the creation of the concept store, Marie-Cohen and Bernard Cohen create the endowment fund "Merci".[4]
After selling Merci, Cohen, with her daughter-in-law Stéphanie Cohen and their friend Elysa Masliah, launches Démodé, a boutique focused on offering sustainable items in interior decoration, advocating an "anti-trend" and "pro-beauty" ethic.
Philanthropic engagement
editIn collaboration with Thanks for Nothing, a philanthropic association co-created by Marine Van Schoonbeek, Marie-France Cohen has been involved in various projects aimed at linking the art world to the nonprofit sector. One of their notable projects, "WE DREAM UNDER THE SAME SKY," is a contemporary art sale benefiting associations working for the welcome of refugees.[5]
"Merci" Endowment Fund
editIn 2022, the "Merci" endowment fund, created by Marie-France, launches the Horizon project, which aims to house refugees in the village of Callac. The project quickly faces strong opposition and a petition against the project gathers more than 10,000 signatures in less than a month.[6] After death threats and online hate calls by far-right sites, a demonstration organized by the Reconquête political party, and intimidation acts against the mayor of the city, carried out among others by individuals identified as belonging to neo-Nazi groups,[7] the project is finally abandoned in April 2023.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Bernard Cohen, cofondateur de la marque Bonpoint". Le Monde (in French). 24 September 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Marie-France Cohen". Kinfolk. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Marie France Cohen". Speciwomen. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Le fonds de dotation merci". merci-merci.com (in French). Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "The Importance of Philanthropy: A Conversation with Marie-France Cohen and Marine Van Schoonbeek". Sotheby's. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "A Shrinking Town at the Center of France's Culture Wars". The New York Times. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ Brahim, Nejma. "Contre l'accueil de réfugiés, l'extrême droite sème la terreur dans un bourg des Côtes-d'Armor". Mediapart (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2023..
- ^ "Accueil de réfugiés à Callac : la fondation à l'origine du projet abandonné porte plainte pour "provocation à la haine"". France Info (in French). 12 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2024.