Who Owns Princesse Tam-Tam?

Princesse Tam-Tam was founded in 1985 in Paris by sisters Lydia and Sylvie Orebi. The brand was established with a distinctive concept: to create colorful, comfortable, and playful lingerie that offered an alternative to the more serious, luxury-oriented positioning of established French lingerie brands. The name "Princesse Tam-Tam" evoked a sense of playfulness and femininity that was central to the brand's identity from its founding.

The Orebi sisters' founding vision was to make lingerie that was both beautiful and genuinely comfortable, using high-quality natural fabrics including cotton and silk. The brand's approach to lingerie design emphasized wearability and everyday comfort alongside aesthetic appeal, positioning Princesse Tam-Tam as lingerie for real women's daily lives rather than exclusively for special occasions.

Princesse Tam-Tam's colorful, pattern-rich aesthetic set it apart from the more restrained designs of many competing lingerie brands. The brand developed a signature use of bright colors, playful prints, and feminine details that gave its products a distinctive visual identity. This aesthetic resonated strongly with French consumers who appreciated the brand's combination of quality, comfort, and visual appeal.

The brand opened its first stores in Paris in the late 1980s and expanded through the 1990s, developing a retail network across France and beginning to expand internationally. Princesse Tam-Tam's stores became known for their warm, colorful atmosphere that reflected the brand's playful aesthetic identity.

Through the 1990s and early 2000s, Princesse Tam-Tam expanded its product range beyond its core lingerie offering to include swimwear, loungewear, and other intimate apparel categories. The brand also developed its international presence, with stores opening in markets beyond France, particularly in Europe and Japan where French lingerie brands have strong consumer appeal.

Fast Retailing acquired Princesse Tam-Tam in 2006, recognizing the brand's strong French heritage, its loyal customer base, and its positioning in the premium accessible lingerie segment. The acquisition was part of Fast Retailing's strategy of building a portfolio of fashion brands serving different market segments and geographies, with Princesse Tam-Tam serving the French lingerie segment alongside Comptoir des Cotonniers in the casualwear segment.

Under Fast Retailing's ownership, Princesse Tam-Tam has continued to develop its product range and retail presence. The brand has maintained its French identity and its colorful, playful aesthetic while benefiting from Fast Retailing's operational and financial resources. The brand has also developed its e-commerce capabilities, allowing it to reach consumers beyond its physical retail locations.

The lingerie market has evolved significantly since Princesse Tam-Tam's founding, with the growth of direct-to-consumer brands, the expansion of athleisure into the intimate apparel category, and changing consumer preferences for comfort and sustainability. Princesse Tam-Tam has adapted its product range and marketing to reflect these trends while maintaining the brand's core identity.