Heritage
A house, in its own words
Candie's traces its identity to a shoe, not a perfume. In the 1960s, Charles Cole, founder of E1 Greco Inc., designed a sexy, high-heeled slide that would eventually become one of the most recognizable footwear silhouettes in American fashion. The shoe took on the brand name "Candie's" and by 1981, the brand was officially established around this now-iconic wooden-sole slide, allowing women to make a statement with every step. The name itself came from the slide, and the slide came from Cole's vision of combining glamour with accessibility. Candie's grew into a lifestyle brand targeting young women, expanding beyond footwear into clothing, accessories, and eventually cosmetics. In 1999, the brand entered the fragrance market under a licensing agreement with Liz Claiborne Inc., launching its debut scent and quickly building a devoted following. The brand operated as part of the Liz Claiborne portfolio until 2010, when the company was acquired by PVH Corp. Candie's continued to evolve, eventually bringing its heritage fragrance line back to shelves in 2021 with a revised edition of the original 1999 scent, proving that the brand's identity has never really left the cultural conversation. Candie's has always stood for bold, unapologetic femininity. The brand's founding principle was simple: give women a way to express themselves with confidence and a touch of attitude. That philosophy has carried through every product category the brand has touched, from footwear to fashion to fragrance. Where many fragrance houses build their identity around heritage perfumery traditions, Candie's takes a different path. The brand speaks to a woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to go after it. Fragrances under the Candie's name tend to be approachable, modern, and confident rather than rarefied or overly complex. The brand has never pretended to be something it is not. It is energetic, youthful, and rooted in the pop-culture moment without sacrificing quality or craft. This directness is what sets Candie's apart in a crowded market.