Marie-France Cohen
Marie-France Cohen | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 1944 (age 81–82) Aix-en-Provence, France |
| Occupations | Fashion designer, entrepreneur |
| Known for | Co-founding Bonpoint; founding Merci; founding Démodé |
| Spouse | Bernard Cohen (d. 2010)[1] |
| Children | 3[2] |
| Relatives | Annick Goutal (sister)[3] |
Marie-France Cohen is a French fashion designer,[4] entrepreneur and philanthropist specializing in creating luxury children's clothing. She co-founded Bonpoint in 1975 with her husband Bernard Cohen, launched the Paris concept store Merci in 2009 (sold in 2013), and in 2017 founded the décor boutique Démodé.[5][6][7]
Biography
Born in March 1944 in Aix-en-Provence[8] into an aristocratic Jewish Sephardic family, the career of Marie-France Goutal[4] in the world of fashion and design begins with the launch of the luxury children's clothing brand Bonpoint[9] in 1975, which she co-founds with her husband, Bernard Cohen, whose last name she takes.[8]
In 2003, the fund Edmond de Rothschild Capital Partners acquires 70% of the Bonpoint company.[4]
Following the success of Bonpoint and the funds obtained from the sale of shares to the Rothschild Group, Marie-France Cohen launches another venture, the concept store Merci, in 2009, with the first concept store located in the Marais district of Paris. The store quickly gains popularity for its blend of commercial innovation and social consciousness.
concept store at 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris, founded by Marie-France Cohen in 2009. In parallel with the creation of the concept store, Marie-Cohen and Bernard Cohen create the endowment fund "Merci".[10]
After selling Merci, Cohen, with her daughter-in-law Stéphanie Cohen and their friend Elysa Masliah, launches Démodé, a boutique focused on offering sustainable items in interior decoration, advocating an "anti-trend" and "pro-beauty" ethic.
Career
In 1975, Cohen and her husband Bernard opened the first Bonpoint boutique in Paris.[3] In 2003, they sold 70% of the company to Edmond de Rothschild Capital Partners,[5] and in 2007 Bonpoint was acquired by the French luxury group EPI.[11]
Cohen founded the concept store Merci in the Marais district of Paris in 2009, linking retail to a charitable endowment fund; contemporary coverage noted that profits supported projects such as schooling and healthcare initiatives in Madagascar.[12] She sold Merci in 2013 to the Gerbi family’s HGD group.[6]
In 2017, Cohen launched Démodé, a home décor boutique and showroom conceived with her daughter-in-law Stéphanie Cohen and their friend Elysa Masliah; the project emphasized an “anti-trend, pro-beauty” ethos and operated both from Cohen’s Paris home and a pop-up at rue de Grenelle.[7][13]
Philanthropic engagement
In collaboration with Thanks for Nothing, a philanthropic association co-created by Marine Van Schoonbeek, Marie-France Cohen has been involved in various projects aimed at linking the art world to the nonprofit sector. One of their notable projects, "WE DREAM UNDER THE SAME SKY," is a contemporary art sale benefiting associations working for the welcome of refugees.[14]
"Merci" Endowment Fund
In 2022, the "Merci" endowment fund, created by Marie-France, launches the Horizon project, which aims to house refugees in the village of Callac. The project quickly faced strong opposition and a petition against the project gathered more than 10,000 signatures in less than a month.[15] After death threats and online hate calls by far-right sites, a demonstration organized by the Reconquête political party, and intimidation acts against the mayor of the city, carried out among others by individuals identified as belonging to neo-Nazi groups,[16] the project was finally abandoned in April 2023.[17]
Personal life
Cohen was married to Bernard Cohen, with whom she co-founded Bonpoint, until his death in 2010; they had three sons, Benoît, Julien and Thomas.[1][2] Her sister is perfumer Annick Goutal; in 1986 Goutal created Eau de Bonpoint for the brand.[3]
References
- ^ a b Gurrey, Béatrice (24 September 2010). "Bernard Cohen, cofondateur de la marque Bonpoint". Le Monde (in French).
- ^ a b "Heaven — Sotheby's x Fonds de dotation Merci". Sotheby’s. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ a b c "Our Story". Bonpoint (official site). Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ a b c "Bernard Cohen, cofondateur de la marque Bonpoint". Le Monde (in French). 24 September 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Carriage Couture". TIME. 6 December 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Marie-France Cohen annonce la vente du concept-store Merci". FashionNetwork (in French). 3 July 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ a b "From a Beloved Children's Boutique to a French Décor Store". The New York Times (T Magazine). 29 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Marie-France Cohen". Kinfolk. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Marie France Cohen". Speciwomen. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Le fonds de dotation merci". merci-merci.com (in French). Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Décès de Bernard Cohen, l'un des fondateurs de Bonpoint (mode enfant)". AFP via FashionNetwork (in French). 22 September 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ "Merci pour les autres". Le Monde (in French). 7 August 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ Clémence (4 October 2017). "Visite du concept store Démodé, rue de Grenelle". Turbulences Déco (in French). Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ^ "The Importance of Philanthropy: A Conversation with Marie-France Cohen and Marine Van Schoonbeek". Sotheby's. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "A Shrinking Town at the Center of France's Culture Wars". The New York Times. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ Brahim, Nejma. "Contre l'accueil de réfugiés, l'extrême droite sème la terreur dans un bourg des Côtes-d'Armor". Mediapart (in French). Retrieved 29 January 2023..
- ^ "Accueil de réfugiés à Callac : la fondation à l'origine du projet abandonné porte plainte pour "provocation à la haine"". France Info (in French). 12 April 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2024.