Ch. 1 Brief History and Mission Statement

    
GUESS was established by the Marciano brothers, who left the south of France in pursuit of the American dream. Inspired by European influence, the Marciano's put an innovative touch on the apparel industry, redefining denim. One of their initial designs was the stonewashed, slim-fitting jean, the 3 zip Marilyn. Bloomingdale's was the first department store to welcome the brand by ordering two dozen pairs of jeans. They disappeared from the shelves in just hours. This was the beginning of a long success story. They began advertising in 1982, then later they introduced their iconic black and white ads in 1985. The ads have won numerous Clio Awards.Their fashion models have included a number of supermodels many of whom, such as Claudia Schrieffer  , Eva Herzigova , Valeria Mazza, Kate Upton, Julia Lescova, and Laetitia Casta;  first achieved prominence via these ad campaigns.

In the 1985 Robert Zemeckis movie Back to the Future and  Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) wore distinctive Guess denim clothing,  reportedly designed specifically for the film. During the 1980s Guess was one of the most popular brands of jeans. The company was one of the first companies to create designer jeans. While the first jeans were for women, in 1983 men's line debuted. In 1984 Guess introduced its new line of watches known as "Guess", "Guess Steel", and the "Guess Collection". The watch line is still in existence today, and has been joined by a number of other accessory sidelines. In 1984, they also introduced a line of baby's clothes, called "Baby Guess". The line is now incorporated with clothing for toddlers and kids called GUESS kids.