History of Haute Couture's Golden Embroiderer

The House of Lésage has played a major role in the evolution of 20^th century fashion. The house was founded in 1868 and was then called Michonet. They embroidered for the socialite Empress Eugenie and did embroidery work for the father of haute couture, Worth. The House served major designers of the time like Doucet, Paquin, and Poiret. Albert Lésage bought the House in 1924 and strengthened ties with the fashion world when he married Marie-Louise Favot, a milliner with Madeleine Vionnet.

The Great Depression struck in 1929 and couture retreated backstage, leaving no room for luxuries like embroidery. Along came Elsa Schiaparelli with her fantastical designs in need of eccentric embroidery, which Albert Lésage beautifully provided. As WWII waged on, he sent his son Francois to the United States to do embroidery work for Hollywood.

Francois Lésage took over the House on the death of his father in 1949. Post-WWII Paris reclaimed the title of "fashion capital of the world" and exploded with the new talent of designers like Dior, Balmain, Fath, and Balenciaga.

The decadent luxury and excess of the eighties fashion scene brought embroidery back in a big way. Yves St. Laurent designed the world's most expensive cardigan, complete with 60 shades of satin bead that took Lésage embroiderers 600 hours of work to create! Today, the world of haute couture remains faithful to the Lésage name. Lésage continues to add luxury and fun to the creations of major designers like Christian Lacroix, John Galliano, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Designer Karl Lagerfeld has said of Lésage, "I cannot conceive of any fashion without embroidery, nor of any embroidery without Lésage."

Embroidery master Francois Lésage visited FIDM to debut the Lésage Wall on the Los Angeles campus. The wall pays homage to the House and its sparkling embroidery.