The French manufacturer of shoes and dance shoes Repetto announced this Thursday in a press release the death of its president and owner Jean-Marc Gaucher, which occurred this Tuesday at the age of 70.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Jean-Marc,” his wife Catherine was quoted as saying in the Repetto press release, describing him as a “lover of life.”
“He lived it with passion, talent and all his visionary qualities,” he added.
It was through sport that Jean-Marc Gaucher came to the shoe industry. This self-taught man who had left school at the age of 15 had first been an electromechanic and then a sound engineer at TF1.
“Great lover” of long-distance running, his high-level practice made him “a spot for the owner of Reebok who offered him the exclusive distribution of the products in French territory,” the press release details. He later became CEO of Reebok France in 1994.
Acquisition of Repetto in 1999
In 1999, Jean-Marc Gaucher bought Repetto, at a time when the house founded in 1947 was experiencing great difficulties. “Driven by the desire to promote French excellence”, “Jean-Marc Gaucher has allowed Repetto to once again become a successful company, essential in the luxury sector and acclaimed for its international performance”, he pays tribute.
Jean-Marc Gaucher Gaucher had opted, among other things, for collaborations with big names in fashion, such as Issey Miyake (in 2000) or Karl Lagerfeld (in 2009) to relaunch the house known for its dance shoes.
“For several years, Jean-Marc Gaucher had called on his daughter, Charlotte Gaucher-Holmann, to help him prepare for the future,” Repetto recalled in his press release. Catherine Gaucher-Holmann “now assumes the presidency of the brand”, it is added.
Founded in 1947 by Rose Repetto, mother of famed dancer and choreographer Roland Petit, Repetto now has 700,000 pairs of ballet flats sold each year. The 250-employee company has 149 stores around the world, including 36 in France.
Source: BFM TV
