François Lesage
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François Lesage (31 March 1929 – 1 December 2011) was a French '' couture'' embroiderer. Lesage was globally known in the art of embroidery and worked for the largest fashion and ''haute couture'' houses. His
atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...
is now part of
Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...
through the company's subsidiary, Paraffection.


Early life and background

Lesage, of Norman origin, was the son of Albert and Marie-Louise Lesage. He had an older brother, Jean-Louis, and a twin sister, Christiane. In 1924, Lesage's parents took over the workshop of the embroiderer Michonet. The workshop, founded in 1858, was known for working with Parisian theatrical costume designers and producing special orders for the court of
Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
. The atelier supplied the best-known figures in Parisian couture, from Worth to Paquin and Madeleine Vionnet. Albert Lesage's first career was as a broker in international trade. He was taken prisoner during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and began a new life in Chicago, where he was hired as director-designer of the women's clothing department at
Marshall Field's Marshall Field & Company (colloquially Marshall Field's) was an American department store chain founded in 1852 by Potter Palmer. It was based in Chicago, Illinois and founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, ...
in 1919. Returning to Paris three years later, Albert joined Michonet (who was looking for a successor). Marie-Louise was an assistant in charge of embroidery for Madeleine Vionnet. She and Albert met at Michonet's, where Yo (as she was nicknamed) was sent to oversee orders from the dressmaker. When they took over the Michonet business, it was renamed Albert Lesage et Cie. The new company diversified, developing its own collection of embroidered accessories and printed fabrics. Albert encouraged his son to serve an apprenticeship at his side. Although he inherited his father's gift for drawing, François was a talented colorist like his mother. After the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he opened a studio on
Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...
in 1948. Lesage settled in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
and created embroideries for film-studio couturiers. Albert's death a year later interrupted his plans, and he returned to France at age 20 to join his mother. Lesage continuously expanded his collection of samples. Under his leadership, the maison became the preferred embroiderer of many fashion houses. "Embroidery is to ''haute couture'' what fireworks are to Bastille Day" was a maxim Lesage liked to repeat, summing up his philosophy about the craft. His boldness and imagination gradually opened the doors of international fashion, and American, Italian and Japanese designers drew on his talent. In 1987, a line of embroidered accessories was revived and sold in the Schiaparelli boutique on
Place Vendôme The Place Vendôme (), earlier known as the Place Louis-le-Grand, and also as the Place Internationale, is a square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France, located to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madelein ...
.


Maison Lesage

In the
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
and
Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...
styles, Albert and Marie-Louise Lesage expanded their catalog with avant-garde motifs which were sought by a clientele for whom fashion was nurtured by art. One,
Elsa Schiaparelli Elsa Schiaparelli ( , , ; 10 September 1890 – 13 November 1973) was an Italian fashion designer from an Italian nobility, aristocratic background. She created the Schiaparelli (fashion house), house of Schiaparelli in Paris in 1927, which she ...
, became a faithful customer and began ordering embroideries inspired by the
circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...
,
astrological sign In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up ecliptic, Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the Equinox (c ...
s and the marine world in 1936. A
bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...
("Chevaux Savants" with rearing embroidered horses, from the summer 1938 collection), a cape embroidered with sun rays, and gilt sequins from the following winter highlight the collaboration between the designer and the craftsman. Until she closed her business in 1954, Elsa Schiaparelli gave Lesage all her embroidery work. Albert Lesage found exceptional materials:
Murano glass Venetian glass () is glassware made in Venice, typically on the island of Murano near the city. Traditionally it is made with a Soda–lime glass, soda–lime "metal" and is typically elaborately decorated, with various "hot" glass-forming techn ...
for small flowers and imitation semi-precious stones, such as
lapis lazuli Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Originating from the Persian word for the gem, ''lāžward'', lapis lazuli is ...
,
jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...
, turquoise rocks with black webbed patterns, artificial stones, pebbles and
cabochon A cabochon (; ) is a gemstone that has been shaped and polished, as opposed to faceted. The resulting form is usually a convex (rounded) obverse with a flat reverse. Cabochon was the default method of preparing gemstones before gemstone cuttin ...
s. He crushed gelatin sequins to give them the appearance of hammered coins, combined chenille and mink, and used metal blades and fish scales. François collaborated with
Pierre Balmain Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain (; 18 May 1914 – 29 June 1982) was a French fashion designer and founder of leading post-war fashion house Balmain (fashion house), Balmain. Known for sophistication and elegance, he described the art of dre ...
, Cristobal Balenciaga and
Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
, and
Jacques Fath Jacques Fath (6 September 1912 in Maisons-Laffitte, France – 13 November 1954 in Paris, France) was a French fashion designer who was considered one of the three dominant influences on immediate postwar haute couture, the others being Christia ...
, Jacques Heim, Robert Piguet, Jacques Griffe, Jean Dessès,
Hubert de Givenchy Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (; 20 February 1927 – 10 March 2018) was a French fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professi ...
, Grès, Jean-Louis Scherrer and
Marc Bohan Roger Maurice Louis Bohan (22 August 1926 – 6 September 2023) was a French fashion designer, best known for his 30-year career at the house of Dior. Early life and career Bohan was born in Paris and grew up in Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, Sceaux. ...
(at Jean Patou) called on Maison Lesage. Like Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent worked only with François Lesage after they met in 1963; their collaboration lasted 44 years. Arguably the most famous are jackets with Vincent Van Gogh's '' Irises'' and '' Sunflowers'' for the summer 1988 collection, each of which required 600 hours of work. The iris jacket was made with 250,000 sequins in 22 colors, 200,000 beads and of ribbon. The 1980s began international collaborative relationships with
Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...
,
Oscar de la Renta Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo (22 July 1932 – 20 October 2014), known professionally as Oscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer. Born in Santo Domingo, he was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo. De la Renta ...
and
Bill Blass William Ralph Blass (June 22, 1922 – June 12, 2002) was an American fashion designer. He was the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award (1999). Ear ...
.
Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...
, who had just arrived at Chanel in France, began a professional relationship with Lesage in 1983. For Lagerfeld, Lesage was inspired by
Boulle Boulle is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Jean Boulle, the father of André Charles Boulle, a cabinetmaker to the King of France * André Charles Boulle (1642–1732), French cabinetmaker to the Sun King * Étienne- ...
furniture and
Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and Businessperson, businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with populari ...
's Coromandel panels. Chanel had never wanted to work with Lesage, since Schiaparelli was a rival. The Lesage archives are a source of inspiration for designers. A Vionnet sample was wanted by
Azzedine Alaïa Azzedine Alaïa (; , ; 26 February 1935 – 18 November 2017) was a Tunisian couturier and shoe designer. He became globally known particularly beginning in the 1980s for his women's dresses and he would dress numerous celebrities throughout his ...
, for
Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...
by Galliano, and by Lagerfeld for
Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...
. Each time, Lesage told them: "This is Vionnet. Claude Montana at Lanvin, John Galliano for Dior,
Thierry Mugler Manfred Thierry Mugler (; 21 December 1948 – 23 January 2022) was a French fashion designer, creative director and creative adviser of Mugler. In the 1970s, Mugler launched his eponymous fashion house; and quickly rose to prominence in the fol ...
,
Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was d ...
(at
Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...
) and Jean-Paul Gaultier called on Lesage and his embroiderers. Lesage creations include a dress with a panther-skin effect, embroidered with tubes in color gradients from beige to brown, for the
Jean Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 June 1952) is a French haute couture and Ready-to-wear, prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs in ...
winter 1998 collection. A loyal customer and friend,
Christian Lacroix Christian Marie Marc Lacroix (; born 16 May 1951) is a French fashion designer. The name may also refer to the company he founded. Lacroix's designs combine luxury and insouciance. He prefers artisanal trades, fringe, bead, and embroidery. He's ...
never stopped calling on Maison Lesage: "It is he who gave me a taste for embroidery. He is my couture godfather." Lesage embroidered a "black tide" dress as a gift for the young designer Christian Le Drezen, who died in 2003. In the dress, crafted with bird feathers, shards of granite and seashells, Lesage wanted to commemorate the ecological disaster caused by the oil tanker '' Erika'' on the
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
coast. Although fashion was an essential part of Lesage's work, the embroidery atelier also carried out special orders. In 1997, for France's
World Youth Day World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for the youth organized by the Catholic Church that was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985. Its concept has been influenced by the Light-Life Movement that has existed in Poland since the 1960s, where dur ...
, Lesage embroidered
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
's
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and
mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) or miter (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, see spelling differences; both pronounced ; ) is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of ...
. Roman Polanski and Erik Orsenna asked him to embroider '' l'habit vert'' for their 1999 induction into the French Academy. Jean-Loup Dabadie did the same in 2008, and so did Simone Veil and Dominique Bona after that.


Awards and recognition

Lesage was celebrated in a 1988
monograph A monograph is generally a long-form work on one (usually scholarly) subject, or one aspect of a subject, typically created by a single author or artist (or, sometimes, by two or more authors). Traditionally it is in written form and published a ...
, "Haute Couture Embroidery: The Art of Lesage" by Palmer White. An exhibit paid tribute to his talent at the Palais Galliera in Paris and the
Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college under the State University of New York, in New York City. It focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. It was founded in ...
in New York (1987), the Fashion Foundation of Tokyo (1989) and the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum). LACMA was founded in 1961 ...
(1991). Lesage received many awards: Regional Grand Prix for Arts Craftsmanship, the Medal of the City of Paris in 1984 and Knight of the Order of the Arts et Métiers (1985). He received the Grand Prix de la Création of the City of Paris (1989). In 1994 Lesage was made a Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honor, and was promoted to the rank of Officer in 2007. He received the rank of Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters (2003). The craft industry (the Métier) named him Master of the Art in November 2011, a few weeks before his death.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lesage, Francois 1929 births 2011 deaths Embroidery designers Knights of the Legion of Honour Fashion designers from Paris French embroiderers