Paul Marciano
Encyclopedia
Paul Marciano is a Moroccan
fashion designer and co-founder of Guess? Inc
. He is the mastermind behind the Guess? image and his sensual black-and-white advertisements have won numerous Clio awards
. Initially run by all four Marciano brothers (Paul, Armand, Maurice and Georges), today the company and its extension lines, Marciano
and G by Guess, are handled only by Paul and Maurice. He is also a large benefactor to one of the larger Sephardic Synagogues in Los Angeles, Em Habanim.
, Morocco
. The family is very attached to the Jewish tradition: his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, were rabbis. They lived in an apartment in a synagogue complex and from age 8–15 Paul, along with his brothers, was a member of the Eclaireurs Israelites de France, a Jewish boy scout group which was located in the same complex.
At 15, he and a friend were involved in a motorcycle accident when they collided with an oncoming car. After being told he would never walk again, he spent seven months in a wheelchair. He eventually regained full use of his limbs after a year and a half, but was not re-accepted into school due to his prolonged absence. Unable to finish his education, he traveled to Israel to live in a kibbutz
.
. The Marciano brothers, Paul, Georges, Armand and Maurice, visited Southern California during an extended leave in 1977, and developed an appreciation for the area. After political changes in France in 1981, the Marcianos closed MGA and moved to the United States.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
fashion designer and co-founder of Guess? Inc
Guess?
Guess is a American clothing line brand. Guess also markets other fashion accessories besides clothes, such as watches, jewelry and perfumes. The company also owns the line Marciano.-Founding:...
. He is the mastermind behind the Guess? image and his sensual black-and-white advertisements have won numerous Clio awards
Clio Awards
The Clio Awards are annual awards bestowed to reward innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design and communication. The categories include work in nearly all types of media, and the judges are advertising professionals from around the world....
. Initially run by all four Marciano brothers (Paul, Armand, Maurice and Georges), today the company and its extension lines, Marciano
Marciano Stores
Marciano is an American upscale fashion brand, which is owned and operated by Guess Inc named after Guess's CEO Paul Marciano. It is the first extension line by Guess and includes clothing such as tops, skirts and dresses, jeans and accessories such as necklaces, earrings and bracelets sold...
and G by Guess, are handled only by Paul and Maurice. He is also a large benefactor to one of the larger Sephardic Synagogues in Los Angeles, Em Habanim.
Early life
Paul Marciano was born in 1952 in Morocco, and raised in Marseilles, France with his four siblings, Georges, Armand, Maurice and Jacqueline. The Marcianos are from a prestigious Jewish family from the town of DebdouDebdou
Debdou is a town in Morocco. It is known for its multi-ethnic population, including Moroccan Arabs, Jews and Berbers.-Jewish centre:Debdou was a major Jewish centre in Morocco. The town was founded by Sephardic Jews from Seville, fleeing the wave of anti-Jewish riots in Spain in 1391...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. The family is very attached to the Jewish tradition: his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, were rabbis. They lived in an apartment in a synagogue complex and from age 8–15 Paul, along with his brothers, was a member of the Eclaireurs Israelites de France, a Jewish boy scout group which was located in the same complex.
At 15, he and a friend were involved in a motorcycle accident when they collided with an oncoming car. After being told he would never walk again, he spent seven months in a wheelchair. He eventually regained full use of his limbs after a year and a half, but was not re-accepted into school due to his prolonged absence. Unable to finish his education, he traveled to Israel to live in a kibbutz
Kibbutz
A kibbutz is a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism...
.
MGA
Marciano worked in his family's clothing company, MGA, with shops in French RivieraFrench Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
. The Marciano brothers, Paul, Georges, Armand and Maurice, visited Southern California during an extended leave in 1977, and developed an appreciation for the area. After political changes in France in 1981, the Marcianos closed MGA and moved to the United States.