For 50 years now, Marc Cain has stood for elegance and design as a premium label. As one of the few
German fashion brands in the upscale segment, the company has
established itself worldwide and has one of the most
most modern and innovative knitting mills in the whole of
Europe. At the company headquarters in Bodelshausen
unique collections of the highest quality
and with great attention to detail. Intricate knitwear creations and special leo prints are what set them apart.
The label owes this success story to the to the sure instinct of company founder Helmut Schlotterer. At the beginning, he did not necessarily have a career in the a career in the fashion business. As a As a young man, Helmut Schlotterer wanted to study study architecture. But his father, who ran a knitting mill, persuaded him to study textile technology. At Schlotterer went to Paris in 1968, where he had a formative experience. formative experience: that fashion is always always goes hand in hand with emotions. "I understood what a brand is and why desirability is important in fashion," says is important in fashion," Schlotterer said in an interview. The idea of own brand was born. It was born in 1973 in Italy, in Carpi near Bologna, which was considered the Mecca of knitwear of the art of knitting. The name: Marc Cain, named after a friend of a friend from that time.
1976
FROM ITALY TO BODELSHAUSEN
1981
MARC CAIN COLLECTIONS
In 1981, the core label Marc Cain Collections is launched. Today, the Label defines itself as a mix of contemporary attractive silhouettes and playful details that create an expressive, feminine look, combining elegance and confidence. The focus is on luxurious and high-quality materials, bold prints and offensive colours.
1983
THE FIRST MARC CAIN SHOWROOM
Helmut Schlotterer wants to show the collection in a contemporary setting, so Marc Cain is the first fashion brand to open a year-round showroom in Düsseldorf’s Kaiserswerther Street. This showroom is so successful that more and more fashion labels follow his example and Kaiserswerther Street eventually becomes Showroom Street.
1984
MARC CAIN MEN'S FASHION
Marc Cain also made a foray into men’s fashion. From 1984, a men’s collection was also produced alongside the women’s collection. However, after four years it was clear that Marc Cain preferred to focus full attention and passion on the success and further development of the extensive women’s range.
1986
THE FIRST MARC CAIN STORE
To realise his vision of presenting fashion and to really push the business of internationalising the brand, Helmut Schlotterer has the idea of opening his own Marc Cain Stores. The first Marc Cain Store is finally opened in Mainz, Germany and combines the themes of fashion and brand.
1988
MARC CAIN HEADQUARTER IN BRUNNENSTRASSE
The original headquarters followed the fashion of the time: washed concrete meets Cyclam window frames. The building had a floor space of 1100 sqm and a total area of 4100 sqm. It housed the production facilities, HR, IT, Sales and Management Departments.
1990-1997
THE COLLECTION IS THE STAR
In the 90s, the signature of the brand continues to develop. The courage to dare something new in combination with a soft spot for colour makes the Marc Cain fan community grow continuously. The conviction to implement fashion in looks inspires more and more customers. This is the beginning of the “Coordinates” idea. Marc Cain understands Coordinates not only as the “perfectly coordinated outfit”, but above all as the subtle clash of seemingly different individual pieces. These are contradictions that find each other and yet still manage to create a new picture. The resulting tension forms its own, new definition of the term “look”. And this is the Marc Cain look.
1997
THE ERA OF THE SUPERMODELS
For more than a decade, top models including Nadja Auermann and Linda Evangelista influenced the international fashion industry; their faces adorned numerous magazines and they walked the runway for famous designers. Their charisma also shaped the Marc Cain campaign shoots and gave the collections an unforgettable touch.
1998
THE INJEKT PRINTING PROCESS
Marc Cain developed its own inkjet printing process as early as 1998. The goal was to create a product image that competitors did not yet have. At the time, they were still using the traditional screen printing or rotary printing process. With this new, unique printing technique, it was possible not only to print on a wide variety of fabrics such as alpaca, wool, viscose, cotton, etc., but also to reproduce different fits such as fully fashioned or 3D knit. The process has been continuously
developed since then and has currently reached the 4th stage of development. With the new generation of print heads, the former CMYK palette could be extended to 10 colours. At the same time, it was possible to increase the printing speed. This has led to an increase in production efficiency of 260%.
1999
MARC CAIN SPORTS
With the trend of casual looks in the mid-90s, more and more international fashion brands start with second lines. Marc Cain also launches Marc Cain Sports in 1999 and interprets this trend with typical signature looks: trendy, sporty and full of joie de vivre.
2004-2009
MARC CAIN FERRARI ‒ THE RACING TEAM
Between 2004 and 2009 Marc Cain also becomes active in sports sponsoring and in 2004, the brand started with its own racing team at the 12th Ferrari Challenge Europe. Even Helmut Schlotterer becomes an active member of the Marc Cain Racing Team. In 2006 the Austrian, Philipp Baron, drives for Marc Cain. Two years later, he won the Trofeo Pirelli at the Mugello race, the Ferrari Challenge world championship title.
Helmut Schlotterer was regarded early on as a promoter of women and an unconventional decision-maker. In his racing team, the first female Maria de Villota, daughter of Spanish racing legend Emilio de Villota and Tamara Vidali drove. This was a novelty for many male competitors, one which they find difficult to get used.
Helmut Schlotterer was regarded early on as a promoter of women and an unconventional decision-maker. In his racing team, the first female Maria de Villota, daughter of Spanish racing legend Emilio de Villota and Tamara Vidali drove. This was a novelty for many male competitors, one which they find difficult to get used.
2005
THE MARC CAIN STORE CONCEPT
Clear lines, purist-looking materials and an architectural lightness characterise the interior design. Steel, aluminium and white acrylic glass predominate; a light grey, metallic silver and a light mint green, which provides visual freshness – these shades determine the light colour scheme. Furniture and product displays emphatically set sparse accents and, just like the stringent formal language of the architecture, assign the main role to Marc Cain′s attractive fashion.
2007
MARC CAIN EYEWEAR
Marc Cain Eyewear has been available since 2007. Together with a licence partner, corrective- and sunglasses are developed that are stylistically oriented towards the fashion.
2008
START CAIN CITY
The new factory outlet does not have the usual factory outlet character: it is rather a new building of over 700 square metres featuring top modern architecture. The exclusive presentation of the Marc Cain collections corresponds to the image of the brand, in a feel-good ambience. A high-quality interior design creates the appropriate setting, with white high-gloss furniture and materials such as stainless steel, fine brown leather and a grey high-pile carpet.
2010
THE NEW HEADQUARTERS
The new Headquarters with administration and production building is a statement for the home location Bodelshausen, Germany. With 12,000 sqm, the building complex unites the working areas of design, production, model makers, marketing, IT and sales. The four-storey building with penthouse is presented as a high-quality exterior façade made of white Alucobond and glass as well as a light-flooded,
13 m high atrium with a glass roof and a roof terrace.
2012
MARC CAIN ESSENTIALS
The new label interprets trendy classics – with simple lines, reduced colours and high-quality materials. The pieces are not subject to short-lived trends, but are convincing with their longevity and their elegant, yet casual and uncomplicated look.
2013
LAUNCH NEW STORE DESIGN
In the 2000s, Marc Cain expanded with its own Stores and developed into a fashion brand with international recognition. Over the years, the design concepts for the Stores have been continually developed to incorporate the wishes of the customers and the respective zeitgeist. One thing, however, has always remained constant:
the demand on each design object to create an aesthetic overall image based on a uniform basic concept. The system of each design concept is so flexibly designed that it can be adapted to all needs and architectural conditions.
2014
MARC CAIN GOES TV
2014
HIGH-TEC LOGISTICS
The logistics centre is also a design-oriented building complex with numerous glass elements that combines light and brightness with function. The centrepiece is the automated warehouse, which is equipped with the latest logistics technologies. The shuttle warehouse offers a capacity of 1.4 million laying pieces. The static hanging goods warehouse offers a capacity of 460,000 hanging garments. The building measures approximately 100 × 74 metres in total, is 18 metres high
and has a floor area of 7,400 square metres.
2014
MARC CAIN ADDITIONS
With Marc Cain Additions, the single-piece skills are expanded. Detached from the collection themes of the Marc Cain Collections and Marc Cain Sports labels, customers are offered fashion trends of the important assortments, such as
outdoor, dresses, T-shirts, blouses, pants, etc.
2015
MARC CAIN BAGS & SHOES
With Marc Cain Bags & Shoes, Marc Cain offers the shoe and bag trade a broad range of products. Significant here is the independent design with an individual design language and great attention to detail. The bags and shoes are charac-
terised by exclusive materials, highest degree of comfort, great functionality
and perfect workmanship.
2017-2019
MARC CAIN BEAUTY
With the Beauty label, Marc Cain also showed its presence on the cosmetic stage for the first time. The range was aimed at the premium customer who already has a high affinity with Marc Cain. Matching the premiere of the Marc Cain fragrance world “Mysteriously”, a colour-coordinated capsule collection is created consisting of pleated skirts and chiffon dresses in pearl pink, ice blue and mint green.
1975-2018
KARIN VEIT
Karin Veit joined the company in 1975 and was Head
Designer at Marc Cain for 43 years. With her extra-ordinary flair for fashion and trends, she gave the styles Marc Cain’s typical signature over all those years and turned customers into fans.
2020
LAUNCH OF RETHINK TOGETHER
Marc Cain is aware of its responsibility for people, animals as well as the environment. With the Spring/Summer 2021 season, the fashion brand therefore introduced the sustainability label “Rethink Together”. This label is yet another important step on the way to more transparency for customers along the entire value chain.
The “Rethink Together” pieces
More on the topic of sustainability
The “Rethink Together” pieces
- consist of at least 50% more sustainable main material, which is selected according to strict principles and is certified independently
- go through an environmentally friendly production process
- and in addition, producers are audited for compliance with our social standards
More on the topic of sustainability
2022
MARC CAIN PANTS
Another label is to be introduced for the Spring/Summer 2023 season: Marc Cain Pants offers the perfect-fitting pants for every occasion and every silhouette. With its fit guarantee, the label stands for a high degree of comfort and the best quality.
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
AI turns ideas into images. The boundaries between the real and virtual worlds are becoming increasingly blurred, and this development is also having an impact on the fashion industry. It is no longer just about physical products, but about creative expression and self-expression in a digital environment. The future of fashion promises an exciting journey in which technological innovation, sustainability and individual self-expression merge harmoniously to establish a new era of style and creativity.
