If you love yourself a good flat, chance are you’ll love Repettos. The iconic Parisian shoe brand was created by Rose Repetto in 1947 ( a good year- The House of Dior was also opened). Repetto’s son, Roland Petit, begged his ‘maman’ for a store full of ballet shoes… and so his wish was granted.
Repetto’s first ad (1952)
Repetto was transformed from professional ballet wear (slippers and pointe) into a comfy shoe that took to the streets. In 1956 (another good year-my mom was born) Brigitte Bardot wore the brand’s <<Cendrillon>> or ‘Cinderella’ flats in Roger Vadim’s film <<Et Dieu créa la femme>>, “And God Created Woman”. Soon after, all the world’s prima ballerinas were shopping at Mme. Repetto’s first shop (opened in 1959).
BB wearing her ‘Cendrillons’ in “And God Created Woman”
In the 1970s, Serge Gainsbourg finds a perfect fit with Repetto’s ‘Zizi’, a shoe made for the dancer Zizi Jeanmaire. Gainsbourg becomes a sort of ambassador for the company.
M. Gainsbourg in his ‘Zizi’s’
The founder, Mme. Repetto, died in 1984 and the company experienced a downfall in sales. In 1999, Repetto was bought by Jean-Marc Gaucher (former head of Reebok’s in France). Finally, the company’s original vision was salvaged and brought up-to-date. Designers from the past 15 years to have collaborated with Repetto include Chanel, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, and Issey Miyake.
Comme des garçons collab with Repetto
The company still makes shoes for professional dancers using the traditional methods. Yet, we see everyone from actors to designers to heads of state donning the iconic ballet flats.
Kate Moss in Repettos
A pregnant Sophia Coppola in Repettos
A pile of Repetto dance shoes. Pretty pretty.
