International Women's Day is an important date in the La Perla Beauty calendar.

As a brand created by women, for women, we love to celebrate the accomplishments of our sisters across the globe. This year's campaign theme is #BreakTheBias, which has prompted us to remember the pioneering spirit of our founder, Ada Masotti, and reflect on her extraordinary achievement as a creative woman and business owner back in the 1950s. That's why this International Women's Day, as well as looking to the future, we want to honour her legacy.

Our Heritage: Inspiring feminine confidence

Our brand history starts in 1954, with one woman – Ada. As an entrepreneur, she broke the bias by founding La Perla during a time when very few women worked outside the home and dared to create their own businesses.

After earning a reputation for her expert seamstress skills, Ada, known as 'golden scissors', decided to invest in a sewing machine and start creating unique pieces of her own. She would soon go on to establish an atelier, too. After all, why should a business specialising in beautiful products for women not be led by a woman?

Ada’s dedication to luxury craftsmanship and inspiring female confidence was, and still is, evident in her exquisite creations and the rich heritage of La Perla.

Ada’s dedication to luxury craftsmanship and inspiring female confidence was, and still is, evident in her exquisite creations and the rich heritage of La Perla. Her vision of femininity continues to empower women to look and feel their most confident selves to this very day.

Ada's Legacy

To #BreakTheBias, women like Ada had to innovate. In becoming a business founder at that time, she was naturally an innovator. But she also offered a fresh perspective in terms of the lingerie she produced. From the start, she knew that helping women feel their most beautiful, confident selves would always involve listening to them and viewing them with kindness and compassion. She was diligent about keeping up with the latest in popular culture – not only in terms of fashion trends, but female empowerment, too. What she learned from those around her – their desires, their dreams for the future – was reflected in her designs.

From the start, she knew that helping women feel their most beautiful, confident selves would always involve listening to them and viewing them with kindness and compassion.

Now, we strive to carry on this heritage of empowering feminine innovation by crafting luxurious and ethical fragrance, bodycare and makeup products that are mindful of contemporary concerns, such as sustainability and protecting animals.

What lies beneath

Ada knew that the secret to true beauty was in what lies beneath. To this day, we're still driven by a desire to follow her example to break the bias, and in doing so instill confidence in women. We're still a fiercely feminine business and we're proud to say so. Everything we do – from the ingredients we choose to the packaging design and our in-store experiences – is dreamt up with the goal of bringing joy to women everywhere, every day of the year.

Continuing to #BreakTheBias

This day, and the campaign theme around it, is a wonderful opportunity to explore our history. But to truly #BreakTheBias, it doesn't stop there for us. We're always working to support female creatives, and their involvement in our brand is something we value immensely. From the illustrator we selected to capture the characters and quirks of each of our team members in their portraits, to the visionary designer behind our sculptural fragrance bottles, as well as many of our perfumers– you'll find women at every step of our process.

Everything we do – from the ingredients we choose to the packaging design and our in-store experiences – is dreamt up with the goal of bringing joy to women everywhere, every day of the year.

You, in all your uniqueness and complexity, are our inspiration. You and all the other beautifully multi-faceted women out there. We'd love to know – do you have a special woman in your life that has helped #BreakTheBias in her own, innovative way?