For 70 years, Carita Paris has embodied the union of high-tech and luxury by pairing the latest in biotechnology and advanced formulation to offer skin care and professional treatments with powerful anti-aging benefits. This year, the company is honoring its heritage, the unique legacy left by the Carita sisters, as well as the brand’s iconic product, with a very special limited edition of the legendary Fluide de Beauté 14, “dressed up” by designer André Courrèges.
 
Katherine Ledesma, marketing manager of Carita US, took time to chat with Happi.com about this specialty SKU.
 
Happi: How did you team up with Courrèges for the project?
 
KL: The choice of Courrèges was a simple one, as the story between the two brands started with the Carita sisters [Rosy and Maria] themselves. André Courrèges’ first shop opened in 1961 in the capital of fashion, Paris. Like the Carita sisters, Courrèges was an innovator and a leader in his industry. He revolutionized fashion with the success of the miniskirt and was the pioneer of the idea behind “second skin boots.”  The brand collaboration in 2015 will serve to rewrite the story of Courrèges and Carita and preserve the strong heritage of both brands. 
 
Happi: How did you select the product for this collaboration and what are its benefits?  
 
KL: The product for this collaboration is Carita’s very first and flagship product, Fluide de Beauté 14. This product, developed in 1956, embodies Carita’s revolutionary global beauty concept—skin care for the face, body and hair—as well as the efficacy and sensuality that Carita stands for. Designed for all skin and hair types, this signature product is an all-in-one essential care for face, hair and body. The “14” stands for 14, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, where the Carita sisters founded their beauty school. The formulation of this legendary Carita ultra-nourishing dry oil has not changed since the unveiling of this product in 1956 and remains an iconic beauty product, globally recognized as a luxurious “must” in any skin care regimen.
 
Happi: Tell us about the packaging design process— why is it important for the collaboration?
 
KL: This 2015 brand collaboration will serve to rewrite the story of Courrèges and Carita, preserving the strong heritage of both brands. A photo of the Carita sisters dressed up in Courrèges served as the starting point of this collaboration – the story already existed, as the Carita sisters were fans of Courrèges, it was just a matter of “rewriting” it and making a creation that would bring both brands’ strong histories to the modern world.

The bottle is dressed up in white, which is the key color of Courrèges, suggesting light. It features a drawing of the Carita sisters, which evokes the sketch of a stylist, as a wink to the Courrèges fashion know-how. It was important to capture the essence of both brands into a single celebratory product.
 
Happi: Is this your first fashion collaboration? And do you have future plans for more?
 
KL: This is not the first fashion collaboration for the brand, but it is the first in quite some time. In 1957, the Carita sisters collaborated with Givenchy for his spring fashion show, where they brought wigs back onto the runway—a trend that continued into the 60s.