From fashion to automobiles, how did the Pepita pattern become a must-have?

It is found on dresses, handbags, perfume bottles and even car seats… The Pepita pattern is everywhere. A look back at a success story in black and white.

Have you heard of Pepita de Oliva? This Spanish gypsy dancer popularized flamenco in the 19th century across Europe. On stage, she used to wear a black and white checkered fabric , launching a trend that would inspire the fashion world years later, but not only.

In 1947, sixty years after the death of Pepita de Oliva, Christian Dior caused a sensation with the first collection of his fashion house. A look that was quickly dubbed the “New Look”. It featured the Pepita print, often confused with houndstooth – the difference is subtle, the Pepita print is tighter and straighter. Christian Dior created a surprise since the print was usually reserved for men. It is synonymous with nobility and elegance and now becomes a bold feminine symbol. Very quickly, the fashion house dressed the bottle of its Miss Dior perfume with the same print.

Fifteen years after Dior, it was the automotive world’s turn to seize the Pepita pattern with the Porsche 356. As an option, the pattern could adorn its seats with this elegant checkerboard. A chic touch for a luxury car. In 1966, it officially entered the Porsche catalog on the 911 and its Pepita interior. The seats and door trims are covered in the black and slate gray woven leather pattern. On the 911 “Sally Special”, in 2022, a car inspired by the film “Cars”, the Pepita pattern takes up the blue of the bodywork. To this day, Pepita is the most requested pattern in Porsche special options, now available in recycled materials, just like on the Taycan, the house’s star electric model. Porsche now even offers non-automotive products with the Pepita print. A travel bag to slip into the trunk, and limited edition armchairs from a collaboration with Vitra.

And since fashion is an eternal recommencement, the Pepita motif never ceases to appear and disappear on the catwalks. We see it on the street on vintage pieces as well as on more recent outfits, dancing on the bodies of men and women as Pepita de Oliva once wore it.