La Perla is a London-headquartered [1] Italian lingerie and swimwear maker owned by entrepreneur Lars Windhorst through Tennor Holding B.V.[2] The brand was founded by couturière Ada Masotti in Bologna in 1954.

[4] As she developed her products, Masotti, who was trained as a corset-maker,[5] would drape fabric directly on the female body to achieve awareness of line and movement.

During her time in the family business Anna will be the brand ambassador and, in 2004 she will accept, with her father Alberto, the award La Kore (known as the Oscar of fashion) in Taormina, Italy.

[13] In 2007, La Perla launched the Cage Bustier worn by Victoria Beckham in the video of "Headlines", the Spice Girls' reunion song.

[16] That same year, La Perla entered the shapewear sector with ShapeCouture, featuring distinctive tailored cuts, tulle inserts and openwork finishes.

[17] In October 2008, La Perla was sold to JH Partners, a San Francisco-based private equity firm focused on investments in services companies and luxury brands.

[19] In June 2014, La Perla held the first menswear catwalk show at Pitti Uomo in Florence, presenting a loungewear and Beachwear collection.

[22][23] Julia Haart was appointed creative director of La Perla in 2016 and held the role for a year, after working with the brand on accessories collaborations for two seasons.

Some chapters are dedicated to the history of the La Perla products, marketing (the origins, the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s) and advertorial images, while others are linked to "symbolic aesthetic concepts" such as Black, White, Body, Inspirations, Precious and Eros.