The inventor of ready-to-wear has lived in Geneva since 1997. Daniel Hechter was born into a modest family in 1938, in Paris. At the age of four, he was forced to flee the capital with his mother and did not see his father, a prisoner of war, until he was seven. After secondary education, he worked in a fashion house as a storekeeper in 1955.

At the age of 18, the stylist was selling his own designs to couturiers like Louis Féraud and Jacques Esterel. True success began when Brigitte Bardot chose one of his designs for her role in La Parisienne. Four years later, he founded the Daniel Hechter company. He then innovated to create ready-to-wear and brought fashion to the streets. In 1971, he was the first stylist to create collections for skiing and tennis.

In 1972, Daniel Hechter branched out into sports and founded the Paris Saint-Germain soccer club with his friends Charles Talar, from Notre-Dame de Paris, and Jean-Paul Belmondo. The couturier also made himself known for inviting stars to an annual party during the French Open tennis tournament.

In 1989, he launched his first line of perfume. Then he entered politics and sat on the Marseilles regional council starting in 1992. Fashion was not forgotten, however, and he designed the streetwear for the French soccer team in 1998.

The stylist settled in Geneva in 1997. Taking care not to embark on a quiet retirement, he was elected Vice President of the Etoile-Carouge soccer club. He published a novel entitled Le Boss in 2000. Daniel Hechter speaks of his love for Geneva: Geneva, and all around the lake, is just wonderful. He has many friends there, including Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy.