Louis Réard

Louis Réard (1897 – September 16 1984) was a French automobile engineer and clothing designer. He introduced the modern two-piece bikini in July 1946. Son of the owner of "Folies Bergères" in Paris, he decided to radically change his sector of activity by inventing a swimsuit allowing girls to sunbathe without having to roll it up.
Réard afterwards opened a bikini shop in Paris and sold swimsuits for 40 years.