Stephan Badal graduated from the Couture department at the Charles Montaigne Fashion Academy in Amsterdam. To complete his studies in making patterns and producing creations, he then did an additional course at the Bob Molenaar Fashion School.
After graduating, he worked for 3 years as head designer in various major fashion studios in the Netherlands. In 1996 he designed the first collection of his own, which he presented at the top golf clubs in Holland. This enabled him to build up a client base and made it possible for him to stage his first significant fashion show in 1999 at the monumental Magna Plaza in Amsterdam, where he positioned himself as THE fashion designer. The show garnered him 46 articles in the leading fashion magazines, which called his creations spectacular, feminine and refined, with an excellent eye for detail.
This major breakthrough also meant that established names such as Moët & Chandon and Jaguar wanted to be linked with him. Jaguar Netherlands included his collection in its "Passion for Fashion Programme", which is still going on today. Each season, it involves staging a spectacular show in a special location.
Moët & Chandon, which is part of the LVMH group (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), is the world’s largest conglomerate of luxury products, invited Badal in the summer of 2001, to its castle in Epernay, Château de Saran, to produce a photo reportage in the wine cellars and vineyards. Moët & Chandon commissioned Stephan to design 2 pink haute couture dresses to promote its “Brut imperial rosé” champagne specially for the "Privilege" show in Antwerp.