First came an idea. Then a new fashion language… With Bébé, Manny Mashouf began a journey that has shaped the style of millions of women and still retains its confident spirit in its 50th year.
When Manny Mashouf arrived in the United States from Iran in the early 1970s, he had no grand plan to reshape the fashion industry. After studying Political Science at San Francisco State University, he began his career in the restaurant business. It didn’t take long for him to realize his true passion lay elsewhere. Having followed fashion closely with his family since childhood, he had always been fascinated by the way women expressed themselves through style. During his university years, he came to see that dressing well was not simply a matter of taste, but a powerful form of self expression. Sensing a gap in 1970s women’s fashion, Mashouf believed there was room for a new alternative that bridged youthful trends and more classic styles. Determined to bring that vision to life, he founded Bébé in San Francisco in 1976. Inspired by Shakespeare’s famous line in Hamlet, ‘To be, or not to be,’ the brand’s name was more than a memorable choice. It became the first signature of Manny Mashouf’s vision.
Birth of Contemporary Women’s Fashion
Although he had no formal fashion education, Manny Mashouf was a keen observer who understood the changing dynamics of women’s fashion. Even during his years in the restaurant business, his mind was never far from fashion. He closely followed women’s shopping habits, studied the collections of the time and gradually recognized a significant gap in the market. He believed there was no strong alternative for modern women who fell between youth oriented designs and classic women’s fashion. As he would later explain in many interviews, there was hardly a category at the time that could truly be described as “contemporary women’s fashion.” Inspired by this idea, Mashouf opened his first boutique, Caspian Corner, on Polk Street in San Francisco in 1971. The fact that he expanded to four successful stores within a short period demonstrated not only that he had made the right business decision, but also that he had responded to exactly the style women had been looking for. Five years later, he brought all of this experience together under a single brand identity and launched Bébé in 1976. With its feminine, attractive and sophisticated design approach, Bébé quickly attracted attention not only for its collections, but also for its philosophy of appealing to a lifestyle rather than an age group. Mashouf’s goal was not simply to offer women new clothes, but to create a sense of style through which they could express their confidence, modern outlook and bold attitude. This vision laid the foundation for the growth story that would later transform Bébé into one of America’s most remarkable fashion brands.
Becoming a Global Fashion Phenomenon
As Bébé expanded rapidly across the United States from the late 1980s onward, Manny Mashouf regarded preserving the brand’s creative vision as his highest priority. From design and store concepts to advertising campaigns and product development, Mashouf remained closely involved in every stage of the brand, successfully maintaining Bébé’s strong identity over the years. The team closely followed developments in the fashion world, conducting continuous research not only on new fabrics and trends, but also drawing inspiration from art, music, cinema and theatre. This approach enabled Bébé to renew itself every season without compromising its character. By the 1990s, Bébé was no longer simply a successful ready to wear brand, but was recognized as one of the strongest representatives of contemporary American women’s fashion. With its body hugging dresses, crystal logo T shirts, velour tracksuits and bold design language, the brand became one of those that shaped the style of the era. Thanks to its collections centered on confident, feminine and modern women, Bébé became one of the most popular fashion brands in shopping malls, particularly in the late 1990s and early 2000s, while also gaining strong visibility in international markets. The company’s initial public offering in 1998 marked another important milestone for Bébé. Just twenty two years after its founding, the brand had become a publicly traded company, accelerating its growth even further. Expanding through new stores, international markets and different product categories, Bébé evolved into a powerful fashion lifestyle brand with a diverse portfolio that included optical eyewear, sunglasses, handbags, shoes, fragrances and travel accessories. The brand also continued to grow through sub collections designed for different lifestyles. While BebeSport, focused on an active lifestyle, was later repositioned as PH8, 2b Bébé, developed for outlet stores, represented the brand’s younger and more accessible side. The bridal collection, introduced in a limited number of stores in 2012, also became one of the notable examples of Bébé’s vision to expand into different categories. During this period, advertising campaigns also played an important role in the brand’s rise. Campaigns featuring names such as Mischa Barton, Rebecca Romijn, Eva Longoria and, in later years, Bebe Rexha brought Bébé’s strong fashion identity to a wider audience. At the same time, weekly refreshed window displays, collections and product presentations created a dynamic shopping experience in stores, while the concept of “lifestyle dressing,” embraced by Manny Mashouf years earlier, remained one of the brand’s defining signatures. By the late 2000s, Bébé had become one of the world’s recognized fashion brands, with hundreds of stores and international licensed points of sale. However, the digital transformation that reshaped the retail industry and changing consumer habits marked the beginning of a new era not only for Bébé, but also for many fashion brands that had grown through shopping mall based retailing. The strong brand identity shaped by founder Manny Mashouf over the years would become one of Bébé’s greatest advantages in adapting to this period of change.
Entering a New Era
After guiding Bébé’s creative vision for nearly four decades, Manny Mashouf stepped down as Ceo in 2012 and continued as Chairman of the Board. Although he handed over the day to day management to new leadership, he remained influential in shaping the brand’s design philosophy and corporate identity. By then, however, the fashion industry was entering a different era. The rapid pace of digitalization and changing consumer shopping habits were prompting fashion brands, particularly those that had grown through shopping mall retailing, to develop new business models. Bébé was no exception to this transformation. Manny Mashouf’s decision to sell his majority stake in the company in 2015 marked one of the most significant turning points in the brand’s corporate history. Two years later, Bébé closed its physical stores in the United States and restructured its operations around an e commerce and licensing model. While this decision initially appeared to be a radical move, it was in fact a strategic step taken to adapt to the changing dynamics of retail. Through this new structure, Bébé continued to strengthen its brand not through the number of physical stores, but through its global licensing network, digital sales channels and international partnerships. Its partnership with BlueStar Alliance, recognized for its expertise in brand management, also became one of the key milestones of this transformation. In doing so, Bébé preserved the design heritage it had built over the years while transitioning to a more flexible and sustainable business model suited to a changing era. Today, Bébé continues to represent contemporary women’s fashion across international markets through its licensed stores and digital first structure. Looking back on its half century journey, the brand’s greatest achievement lies not only in keeping pace with changing fashion trends, but also in carrying forward the bold, confident and timeless identity that Manny Mashouf embraced from the very beginning. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026, Bébé continues to carry the lifestyle it has championed since its founding into the future.
Bébé Eyewear
For Manny Mashouf, style was never limited to clothing alone. In his view, a strong look had to create a consistent identity from head to toe. For this reason, every piece that completed the Bébé woman’s wardrobe was expected to reflect the brand’s feminine, sophisticated and confident character. The introduction of eyewear collections became a natural extension of this approach. Mashouf’s fashion philosophy, which he described as “lifestyle dressing,” was gradually carried over to the brand’s optical and sunglasses collections with the same holistic perspective. Bébé entered the eyewear category with its first licensing agreement in 2000 through Signature Eyewear, extending its growing influence in the fashion world into the optical industry. A new chapter began in 2010 with Altair Eyewear, enabling the collections to reach a broader global distribution network. This collaboration continued to grow stronger in the years that followed and was carried into the future once again with the renewal of the long term licensing agreement in 2025. Today, Bébé Eyewear collections continue to bring together the brand’s half century design heritage with contemporary lines. The optical and sunglasses collections appeal to women who not only follow fashion, but also enjoy expressing their own style through striking silhouettes, modern details and a strong feminine character. Available through independent optical stores and selected points of sale around the world, the collections continue to successfully reflect the lifestyle philosophy that Bébé has embraced since its very beginning.
Milestones
1938
Manny Mashouf, who would later become one of the pioneers of contemporary women’s fashion, was born in Pahlavi, Iran.
1966
After graduating from San Francisco State University with a degree in Political Science, Mashouf was preparing to turn his passion for fashion into a professional career.
1971
He opened his first boutique, Caspian Corner, in San Francisco, laying the foundation for his new approach to women’s fashion.
1976
Mashouf founded Bébé. Filling the gap between youth fashion and classic women’s wear, the brand became one of the first representatives of contemporary women’s fashion.
1998
Bébé went public, accelerating its growth and evolving from a national fashion brand into a strong international retail player.
2000
The brand signed its first eyewear licensing agreement with Signature Eyewear, extending its lifestyle philosophy into the optical industry.
2003
BebeSport was introduced, expanding the brand’s product portfolio to appeal to different lifestyles.
2010
A new licensing era began with Altair Eyewear, marking an important milestone in the global growth of Bébé Eyewear.
2012
Manny Mashouf stepped down as Ceo and became Chairman of the Board, continuing to guide the brand’s strategic vision.
2017
Adapting to changing retail dynamics, Bébé closed its physical stores and transitioned to a new business model focused on digital commerce and licensing.
2025
The global licensing partnership with Altair Eyewear was renewed, further strengthening Bébé Eyewear’s international growth journey.
2026
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Bébé continues to inspire women around the world by bringing together its half century design heritage with a contemporary approach to fashion.
August 2026
