Caroline Montagne Roux (Paris 1858 – Barcelona 1941) was a French

haute couture ''Haute couture'' (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design that is constructed by hand from start-to-finish. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became th ...

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

. She founded a fashion house in Barcelona and was the friend and master of

Jeanne Lanvin Jeanne-Marie Lanvin (; 1 January 1867 – 6 July 1946) was a French haute couture fashion designer. She founded the Lanvin fashion house and the beauty and perfume company Lanvin Parfums. Early life Jeanne Lanvin was born in Paris on 1 Januar ...

. She is also known as Carolina Montagne, Catalan version of her first name.

Life

The Montagne-Roux family is a French family settled in Barcelona. Parisian seamstress Anne Roux and her husband Charles Montagne came in the Spanish city with her two daughters, Caroline and Marie, in 1859. Marie and Caroline worked as clothes designer, as their mother, and founded a fashion house inspired by French style. Caroline designed many dresses for women of the Barcelona's bourgeoisie. The workshop is successful, that encouraged Marie to hire the young

, aged 18, then a hatter in Paris. She was trained by the Montagne house for five years. She has since forged a friendly and professional relationship with Caroline. Thanks to Jeanne Lanvin, who left Barcelona to found her fashion house in Paris, Caroline's work followed the news of Parisian fashion which is spreading in Spain. In Barcelona, the industrial bourgeoisie is getting rich very quickly, and Caroline becomes one of the most prominent designers. Caroline's workshop, situated

Rambla de Catalunya Rambla de Catalunya (; es, Rambla de Cataluña) is a major street in the ''Eixample'' district of central Barcelona. It is one of the city's trendiest streets, with many international fashion shops, and is lined with lime trees. The street st ...

103, became one of the first

Lanvin Lanvin () is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Paris. Founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin, it is the oldest French fashion house still in operation. Since 2018, it has been a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Lanvin Group. Bruno Sialel ...

boutique outside Paris. Today, clothes designed by Caroline Montagne Roux can be found in contemporary collections and are notably presented at the

Design Museum of Barcelona The Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (Catalan, English: "Barcelona Design Museum"), is a center for Barcelona's Institute of Culture, which works to promote better understanding and good use of the design world, acting as a museum and laboratory. It ...

in the exhibition ''Dressing the Body''. The store, in which Carolina called herself "Madame Montagne", reflected her time and customers came in search of the spirit of Paris in Barcelona, such as Isabel Llorach. The house was particularly appreciated for her wedding dresses.

References

1941 deaths French women fashion designers Spanish women fashion designers Burials at Poblenou Cemetery {{fashion-stub