Barbara Cowan

Barbara Cowan (1899-23 August 1975) was a Brunanter fashion designer well-known in the postwar period. She was one of the most influential figures in the postwar period alongside Sergio Bidarte.

1920s and 1930s
Cowan worked at the studio of Louise Chéruit in Paris in the late 1920s and early 1930s. When Chéruit's was taken over by Elsa Schiaparelli, she worked with her for a while before starting her own salon in Paris' Left Bank in 1937. The outbreak of the war with Germany put her in a highly uncertain situation as her documents had her as foreign-born.

War years
Following the invasion of France in May 1940, she closed her shop and left Paris for Lyon. Shortly after she headed to Toulon and made it to Brunant on 30 June. It would be less than a year later that German troops invaded Brunant, but she was largely left alone and was reported to be seen in the company of some Germans.

Postwar years
She reopened her studio from Koningstad in August of 1948, with designs heavily based on her pre-war look, now seeming out of date compared to the newer Balmain and Dior designs. Due to perceived criticism and lagging financial success, she closed her studio in 1950.

In the fall of 1954, she showcased a new collection for the spring of 1955 that was very well received, incorporating a modern silhouette with many pre-war inspired decorations. Along with Sergio Bidarte, she was one of the main figures of 1950s fashion.

Personal life
In the 1940s and 1950s she was involved with Peruvian bullfighter Franco Benavides.