Noir (fashion)
Noir is a Danish luxury fashion brand founded by designer Peter Ingwersen.
Introduction
Noir and the organic cotton brand Illuminati II were founded concurrently in 2005, and together with the diffusion line Bllack Noir, introduced in 2008, the three brands are owned by the holding company Noir Illuminati II Holding.
Noir’s design philosophy has its fulcrum in contrasts where shiny fabrics are set against matt textiles and stringent lines are combined with voluminous shapes. Inspiration is drawn from the dark side, literature such as Edgar Allan Poe and the Victorian era, mixed with sadomasochistic elements.
Objective
Peter Ingwersen’s founding vision behind Noir was to set up a luxury fashion apparel brand that in all links of the supply chain was based upon Corporate Social Responsibility principles.
Inspired by the Zeitgeist – or ‘the spirit of the times’ – Ingwersen wanted Noir to be the first luxury clothing brand to incorporate social responsibility into the business model and blend organic and fair trade principles with mink, leather and similarly luxurious materials. The founding idea behind Noir was thus to create socially conscious fashion in an industry that is not otherwise known for its commitment to social responsibility. In other words: "We want to be known as the first brand to turn corporate social responsibility sexy”, says Peter Ingwersen.
