Sophie Albou
Encyclopedia
Sophie Albou is a Paris-born designer best known as the founder of the Paul & Joe clothing line. The daughter of Yvan and Nicole Haggiag, a clothing company executive and designer respectively, Albou was educated at the Sorbonne
and the Institut Français de la Mode before going to work for the clothing company Azzedine Alaia
in 1983. In 1990 she started a menswear company called Paul & Joe, adding a womenswear line in 1995. The first show in the United States was opened in New York City in 1996.
Albou opened another store in Notting Hill
, and also has a store in Covent Garden
. The London stores were closed due to what was rumoured to be financial trouble – they reopened in 2009, with the explanation that it was simply restructuring.
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and the Institut Français de la Mode before going to work for the clothing company Azzedine Alaia
Azzedine Alaia
Azzedine Alaïa is a Tunisian-born couturier and shoe designer, particularly successful since the 1980s.-Biography:Alaïa was born in Siliana, Tunisia on 7 June 1940. His parents were wheat farmers but his glamorous twin sister inspired his love for couture. A French friend of his mother fed Alaïa's...
in 1983. In 1990 she started a menswear company called Paul & Joe, adding a womenswear line in 1995. The first show in the United States was opened in New York City in 1996.
Albou opened another store in Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
, and also has a store in Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. The London stores were closed due to what was rumoured to be financial trouble – they reopened in 2009, with the explanation that it was simply restructuring.