Philippe Venet (23 May 1929 – 22 February 2021) was a French

fashion design Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...

er.

Early life and career

Venet was born in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. After training at the École Professionnelle des Tailors de Lyon he apprenticed at age 14 with "a local dressmaker, Pierre Court, who was authorized to reproduce

Balenciaga Balenciaga SA ( ) is a luxury fashion house founded in 1919 by the Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastian, Spain. Balenciaga produces ready-to-wear, footwear, handbags, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Co ...

designs." In 1951, Venet moved to Paris and worked as a cutter at Schiaparelli. While there, he met

Hubert de Givenchy Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (; 21 February 1927 – 10 March 2018) was a French aristocrat and fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the ...

, following him when established his own

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

two years later. Venet served as head cutter at Givenchy until 1962 when he also went solo. At his own brand, he "dressed the social set and 'all the Kennedy ladies,' as one reporter put it, infused conservative clothes with a youthful spirit." According to Olivier Gabet, director of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, Venet" clients included arts patron Hélène David-Weill, actress

Jacqueline Delubac Jacqueline Delubac (1907–1997) was a French stage and film actress.Williams p.158 She was married to Sacha Guitry and appeared in a number of his productions on both stage and screen. Selected filmography * '' Let's Get Married'' (1931) * '' To ...

and American society figures Mica Ertegun,

Jayne Wrightsman Jayne Kirkman Wrightsman (née Larkin; October 21, 1919 – April 20, 2019) was an American philanthropist, arts collector and widow of Charles B. Wrightsman (1895–1986). She was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in ...

and Marina Kellen French.

Personal life

He was husband of

. According to James Taffin de Givenchy, Givenchy's nephew, "As Monsieur Hubert de Givenchy’s lifelong companion, he helped to build the house into an international force in fashion, and his many contributions remain an essential part of our DNA." Venet died at the

American Hospital of Paris The American Hospital of Paris (''Hôpital américain de Paris''), founded in 1906, is a private, not-for-profit hospital that is certified under the French healthcare system. Located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the western suburbs of Paris, France ...

on 22 February 2021 at age 91.

References

External links

Philippe Venet
French fashion designers 1929 births 2021 deaths {{France-bio-stub