PARIS, April 8 — Maria Luisa Poumaillou, known in the industry simply as Maria Luisa, died yesterday following her battle with cancer. One of the most renowned buyers in the fashion world, she spent over five years as Fashion Editor at the French department store Le Printemps, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.

Born in Venezuela in the 1950s, Maria Luisa moved to Paris at age seven. While growing up in the French capital and attending Sciences Po, she discovered a passion that would follow her for the rest of her life: ready-to-wear. She opened her eponymous fashion boutique in the late 1980s on the prestigious Rue Cambon, and two additional Maria Luisa locations soon followed elsewhere in Paris. One of the first of its kind, the multi-label showroom was known for featuring young and emerging designers.

A nose for talent

Looking back, one thing is clear: Maria Luisa had a knack for spotting up-and-coming designers with major potential. Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, Jean Paul Gaultier, Helmut Lang, Nicolas Ghesquière and Martin Margiela are among those featured in her boutique, and all of them went on to become world-renowned couturiers and creative directors.

The collections of these leading fashion designers were sold at Maria Luisa’s boutiques for over 20 years, until 2010, when the buyer closed her shops after embarking on a new phase in her career as Fashion Editor at Le Printemps.

Always in attendance at the international fashion weeks, where she sought out the designers of tomorrow for the leading Parisian department store, Maria Luisa headed up her own dedicated space within Le Printemps, as well as a bridal apparel section featuring gowns from Elie Saab, Roland Mouret, Victoria Beckham, Alexandre Vauthier and Delphine Manivet, among others.

For the store’s 150th anniversary celebration, which officially began on March 20, Maria Luisa put together a capsule collection based on two of Le Printemps’ signature themes: flowers and the colour pink. The line includes menswear and women’s wear pieces in a distinctive pink and black floral motif.

“A symbol of avant-garde chic, her vision of fashion was one of excellence and creativity. She had chosen, since 2009, to lend her talent to Le Printemps and to support the store in its renewal,” stated Paolo de Cesare, president of the department store, following the announcement of Maria Luisa’s death. — AFP-Relaxnews