Ada MasottiWhen La Perla was founded by Ada Masotti, a Bologna housewife, started a part- time business in her home, making corsets for wealthy women, in Bologna, Italy, in 1954, the city already boasted a strong craft tradition going back four centuries based on a flourishing textile industry. The existence of a local silk industry led to the foundation of a famous women's corsetry school in the eighteenth century. Building on this tradition, Ada Masotti opened a workshop - which she named La Perla - which is known for high quality and luxurious intimate apparel in brightly patterned silks decorated in lace. The company's simple philosophy is that 'a woman should be the most sexily 'dressed' when she is undressed'. The sensuality of its ranges, which also include resort wear, evening gowns, cocktail dresses, swimwear and sleepwear, has secured the loyalty of people such as Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Catherine Deneuve and Sophia Loren.Known for being avant-garde, La Perla pioneered the wearing of bodysuits as outerwear and sleepwear as casual clothes. Her son, who was a cardiologist, took over the business and now it's a multi-million dollar enterprise, turning out exquisite creations, with boutiques in big Italian cities and worldwide. |  |