Escada Eyewear: Bold Color, Built on a German Fashion Legacy

Escada made its name in the 1980s with a formula that felt genuinely new at the time: vivid color, opulent embroidery, and a distinctly confident vision of femininity, all wrapped in German precision and craftsmanship. Decades later, that same design DNA carries through into the brand's eyewear collection.

A model turned designer, and a horse's name

Escada was founded in Munich, Germany, in 1978 (some accounts date the company's earliest roots to 1976) by husband-and-wife team Margaretha and Wolfgang Ley. Margaretha's path into fashion was unconventional in its own right — she began her career as a runway model for Jacques Fath and Christian Dior, but she wanted more than to wear other designers' work. She trained formally as a seamstress under the Royal Court Tailor Leja in Stockholm, and went on to work as head designer at the fashion label Mondi before eventually taking over management of her husband's SRB knitwear factory in Munich, where the earliest incarnation of what would become Escada began as a knitwear manufacturing business.

The brand's now-familiar name came a few years into the company's life: in 1979, the Leys decided to establish a proper designer label and chose the name "Escada," inspired by an Irish thoroughbred racehorse — a fitting reference for a couple who were, in their own words, betting on their new venture to win.

Building a distinctive identity

Escada's debut womenswear collection, "Escada – Sporty Elegance," launched in 1978 and immediately stood out for its use of appliqués and intricate inlays at a moment when much of high fashion leaned heavily on animal wools, furs, and more traditional patterned fabrics. Margaretha Ley became known specifically for her fearless use of bright, bold color — a choice she reportedly traced back to her childhood in Sweden, where the muted northern light left her hungry for vivid color in her adult work.

The brand expanded quickly through the 1980s, entering the U.S. and Hong Kong markets by 1982 and eventually becoming recognized as one of the largest fashion companies in the world during that decade. Escada went public on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 1986, with the Ley family retaining a controlling 51 percent stake. Along the way, the label built an enormous following among European royalty and celebrities alike — Diana, Princess of Wales, famously wore an Escada coat during a formal 1987 visit to Berlin, and the brand later dressed Kim Basinger for her 1998 Academy Award win.

A loss, and a period of transition

Margaretha Ley died in 1992, having served as the brand's primary designer and creative force since its founding. Her death marked a significant turning point for the company; Michael Stolzenburg took over creative direction until his own death in 1994, after which American designer Todd Oldham stepped in as creative consultant, helping guide the brand through the mid-1990s. That same period saw the 1995 launch of Escada Sport, a more casual, accessibly priced companion line to the main Escada collection.

Eyewear enters the collection: 1998

Escada launched its eyewear line in 1998, extending the brand's bold, glamorous design sensibility into sunglasses and optical frames for the first time. The eyewear collection was designed to appeal directly to the existing Escada customer — someone drawn to the spotlight, comfortable with a fashion-forward, glamorous style statement. Escada's sunglasses collections have been developed in partnership with De Rigo, a major eyewear manufacturer, translating the house's signature codes into frame design.

Weathering a difficult chapter

Escada's corporate history hit a serious setback in 2009, when the company filed for insolvency after a bond exchange offer failed to secure sufficient support from bondholders. Later that year, the label was acquired by Megha Mittal, daughter-in-law of billionaire industrialist Lakshmi Mittal, who became the company's new owner and chair. The brand has continued under a series of creative directors since then, including Bettina Hammerl, Daniel Wingate, and, since 2019, British designer Emma Cook — each tasked with reinterpreting Escada's original codes of bold color and feminine elegance for a new generation.

A design language built on confident color

Escada's eyewear collections continue to reflect the brand's founding instincts: striking color combinations, gradient lens effects, and a glamorous, statement-making sensibility. Oversized and square silhouettes remain a strong presence in the lineup, designed for a wearer who, much like the brand's original customer base, isn't afraid to stand out.