Marcelle Calisti opened her design shop in Paris in 1937. Both a painter and a textile designer she was a contemporary of Sonia Delaunay and Raul Dufy. Calisti designed fabrics for the haute couture houses in Paris and it was not unusual to spot Grace Kelly, Liz Taylor or Romy Schneider sporting her designs. Her niece, Marie-Jeanne Caslisti, took over the business in 1991. She was successful in keeping the spirit of Atelier Calisti alive and continued to develop their signature brand of colorful and exquisite designs.