Fashion designer Emanuel Ungaro was born on February 13, 1933, in Provence, France. He learned how to tailor suits under his father, who ran a men's clothing store. At the age of 23, he moved to Montparnasse, Paris, where he gained experience at Cristóbal Balenciaga and André Courrèges. After meeting textile designer Sonia Knapp, he established his style of beautiful prints and distinctive color combinations. In 1965, he went independent and started his own eponymous brand, "Emanuel Ungaro." Together with Sonia and others, he opened a maison in Paris. His delicate yet bold and sensual style garnered enthusiastic support in Europe and the United States, and in 1968 he participated in his first ready-to-wear collection. He created his first men's collection in 1973 and released his first fragrance, "Diva," in 1983. Since then, many other fragrances have been released, including Senso and Ungaro.

After Ungaro retired in 2005, various designers took over the brand. From 2009 to 2010, actress Lindsay Lohan served as artistic advisor, which became a hot topic. The current creative director is Fausto Paglissi.