In 1978, Margaretha and Wolfgang Ley presented their first collection under the name “ESCADA & Sporty Elegance“. This event laid the foundation for a new business idea that was as simple as it was successful: the „democratization“ of elite haute couture. ESCADA offered: top quality in fabrics, fit and workmanship at affordable prices; sophisticated, imaginative design and extremely comfortable wear; a coordinate system with individual components that were perfectly color-coordinated to allow mixing & matching through several seasons.

Margaretha Ley, a former Swedish model, had a solid education in tailoring and ample experience with demanding customers. But she also had an exquisite feel for colors, a devotion to detail, and a sure sense for what many women desired - feminine elegance that doesn’t shy away from bright contrasts and striking elements. Bold color combinations, opulent embroideries, combinations of patterns, and leopard prints endowed ESCADA’s early creations with a touch of irrepressible joie de vivre. This fashion style was exactly in tune with the extroverted spirit of the 1980s.