Brand · French ready-to-wear since 1987

Paule Ka

Geometric, sober, sophisticated — a Marais house built on the little black dress and a well-tied bow.

Paule Ka
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PAULE KA is the French ready-to-wear house created in 1987 by Serge Cajfinger, who opened its first store in the heart of Paris's Marais district.

The name came first: in 1974 Cajfinger — born in Lille in 1955, raised in Brazil — opened a multi-brand store in Lille under the PAULE KA banner, then took it to Paris as his own designer label. The house style settled into something geometric and sober, sophisticated yet urban, with lasting signatures: the black dress, the must-have bag, the bow.

The years that followed read as a story of stewardship. The Caisse des dépôts et consignations invested in 2007, Change Capital Partners in 2011, and the brand opened across China and Europe. Cajfinger left in 2014 after almost thirty years; Alithia Spuri-Zampetti took the creative reins in 2015, and Marco Polo became the main shareholder in 2017, with the founder returning to supervise collections.

Paris · Marais Founded 1987 Serge Cajfinger Ready-to-wear

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Paule Ka shopping FAQ

Is Paule Ka worth it for a little black dress?+

If you are buying into the house's core idea, yes. Paule Ka was built around the black dress as a lasting signature, alongside its must-have bags and the recurring use of bows, so the LBD is the most on-brand first purchase you can make. You are paying for that geometric, sober-yet-sophisticated Parisian cut rather than seasonal novelty.

What is Paule Ka best known for?+

Founder Serge Cajfinger gave the house a style described as geometric and sober, sophisticated yet urban. Its lasting hallmarks are black dresses, signature bags and the use of bows, which run through the collections as recurring motifs rather than one-off trends.

Where does the name Paule Ka come from and when did the brand start?+

The name dates back to 1974, when Serge Cajfinger opened a multi-brand store in Lille called PAULE KA. He later moved to Paris to launch a designer label under the same name, opening the first proper PAULE KA store in 1987 in the heart of the Marais district, which is the year the brand as a fashion house is usually dated from.

Who founded Paule Ka and where is it from?+

Paule Ka is a French ready-to-wear house created by Serge Cajfinger, who was born in Lille in 1955, spent his childhood in Brazil and returned to France in 1968. The label is rooted in Paris, where the first PAULE KA store opened in the Marais in 1987.

Does Serge Cajfinger still run Paule Ka?+

His involvement has come in chapters. Cajfinger left the house he founded in 2014 after almost 30 years as Chairman and Creative Director, and Alithia Spuri-Zampetti was appointed Creative Director in July 2015. When the company Marco Polo became the main shareholder in July 2017, Cajfinger returned to supervise upcoming collections alongside the in-house creative team.

Which celebrities wear Paule Ka?+

The house has a notably elegant following. Wikipedia records Kate Middleton, Amal Clooney, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway as wearers of Paule Ka, which tells you a lot about where the brand sits: refined, occasion-ready dressing rather than streetwear.

What is the Paule Ka Black Carpet line?+

Black Carpet is a collection of evening dresses that Cajfinger launched in 2010. Through it he dressed Hollywood actresses including Meryl Streep, Patricia Arquette, Eva Longoria and Sarah Jessica Parker, as well as singers such as Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Jennifer Lopez.

Is Paule Ka a luxury or a high-street brand?+

It sits in the considered designer space rather than fast fashion. Shoppers describe the appeal as French chic with impeccable cuts and meticulous finishes, the kind of wardrobe you buy for timeless pieces rather than trend-chasing. The brand also flirted with the high street once, designing a 2010 capsule collection for the French mail-order retailer La Redoute.

How would I describe the Paule Ka aesthetic when styling it?+

Lean into its own vocabulary: clean geometric lines, a sober palette anchored by black, and a touch of feminine softness through bows. A black dress with one of the house's signature bags is the most authentically Paule Ka look you can build, and it reads as urban and grown-up rather than fussy.

Is buying Paule Ka secondhand a good idea?+

It can be, because the house leans on classic, non-seasonal shapes that age gracefully. The black dresses and signature bags are exactly the kind of evergreen pieces that hold their look on the resale market, so a well-kept older piece can still feel current. As always, check seams, lining and the condition of any hardware before you commit.