Anne Fontaine | The Fashion Designer and Businesswoman

After that great discovery, renowned fashion designer Anne Fontaine took over the family business, establishing the white shirt as the staple of feminine wardrobe.

Recently making a debut in OC Fashion Week, we wanted to give ICONIC readers the full story of Anne Fontaine.

ABOUT ANNE FONTAINE

Born in 1971 to a French-German father and Brazilian mother, Fontaine’s childhood was largely spent in Rio de Janeiro. A growing love for the country and ecology, Fontaine spent six months living in the Amazon Rainforest at just 17 years old. But Fontaine had two sides to her as she loved drawing fashion sketches too, so at 20 years old, headed to France for school, where she met her husband. 

It was in France that Fontaine discovered the mentioned trunk filled with white shirts. While some might donate and move on, Fontaine saw a business opportunity and her famous “white shirt” clothing line was born. Since then, the world-renowned Anne Fontaine brand has become the effortlessly chic lifestyle brand, with a full wardrobe of accessories and more all created around the white shirt.

Her pieces are sold in 60 retail shops globally and distributed in several hundred multibrands. Never forgetting her roots, she is committed to protecting the Brazilian forests with the Anne Fontaine foundation founded in 2011.

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She has since branched out to other colors, keeping it mostly neutral with a splash of an accent color. A lot of her designs include environmentally friendly elements, along with a chic recyclable eco-bag customers can purchase with all proceeds going to the Anne Fontaine Foundation. 

This past OC Fashion Week, Fontaine debuted a number of gorgeous, ready-to-wear dresses, bags, shoes and more, with a focus on black and white, black and beige and plain black. Here are the details.

ANNE FONTAINE IN OC FASHION WEEK

Started in 2005 by a group of fashion students and has grown since, recently receiving authentication by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. 

OC Fashion Week is a showcase for emerging fashion designer talent. From photographers to models to startups, this is the place for one-of-a-kind fashion and retail, otherwise coined as the “Luxury Market of California” by Owner and President Kathryn Marino. 

The event took place September 6-10. On day five, the dynamic show of emerging talent from around the world took place at Soka Founders Hall World Peace Lake where Anne Fontaine’s collection debuted. Not too far from the tree of the modern, feminine “white shirt” at OC Fashion Week, we saw a focus on black and white, with a touch of beige. Probably our favorite feature is that the models with the Anne Fontaine line were very diverse, something that is a focal point in OC Fashion Week. 

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“I love that we have embraced diversity from the onset, whether it be having LGBQ models or multicultural staff of artists, makeup and hair and models,” President Kathryn Marino told Shoutout LA. “We never had the need to create a new program in 2020 because our show has consistently been diverse since our inception.” 

The models featured more formal designs such as cocktails, but also featured versatile accessories great for a ladies night out, true to the Fontaine style that can easily transform from daytime to playtime. 

Some of these beautiful designs are available to purchase on the Anne Fontaine website. You can view the Fall 2022 Collection, accessories and more at AnneFontaine.com.