Marithé + François Girbaud invented stonewashed jeans — then fell from €900M to €200M

Marithé + François Girbaud was founded in 1972 by the French fashion duo Marithé Bachellerie and François Girbaud. The brand pioneered denim stonewashing and introduced revolutionary laser and ultrasonic cutting techniques. It became a global denim powerhouse — in 1990, revenue peaked at €900 million, with the brand sold in over 1,000 stores worldwide.

Over the next two decades, the brand steadily lost ground. Revenue fell from €900 million in 1990 to €200 million by 2011. The denim market had become saturated with cheaper fast-fashion competitors who copied the stonewashed look that Girbaud invented. The brand's premium pricing could no longer be justified when the same aesthetic was available from Zara and H&M at a fraction of the price.

In June 2012, Marithé + François Girbaud filed for bankruptcy. The brand's websites went dark. The founders restructured in 2015 through a new company, Mad Lane, which continued operating the brand as a concept store and design studio. But the global denim empire that once dressed Madonna and Kris Kross was gone — the company that invented stonewashing had been washed out by the industry it created.