Louis Réard: Bikini Designer

Louis Réard: Bikini Designer — page 3
2 Automobile Engineer Louis Réard was born in 1897 Much of his life is unknown to historians including his birthplace Some reports say Réard was born in France Others say he was born in Switzerland Conflicting claims about Réard’s life are common It is believed that Réard lived near Paris France for most of his life As an adult he became an automobile engineer In the 1930s he worked for French automobile manufacturer Renault There Réard created many cars In the 1940s Réard left the automobile industry and joined the fashion world His mother owned a company in Paris that made lingerie Réard took over her company and began designing clothing instead of cars In his new line of work Réard designed a two-piece swimsuit It was unlike anything beachgoers at the time had ever seen But the garment had its roots in ancient athletic wear