The year 2024 marked the 100th anniversary of Lesage, the seminal embroidery house that’s a go-to among fashion’s greatest couturiers and the maker of Chanel’s ultra-exquisite tweeds. As the atelier enters its 101st year, FEMALE – following a visit to the Lesage: 100 Years Of Fashion And Decoration exhibition, which is on at Chanel’s Le19M complex in Paris till Jan 26 – breaks down how it continues to revolutionise the hand-done art of weaving and beading.
IT HAS PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE SUCCESS OF THE WORLD’S MOST INFLUENTIAL FASHION DESIGNERS.
On at La Galerie du 19M in Le19M in Paris till Jan 26, Lesage, 100 Years Of Fashion And Decoration is a concise and intimate exhibition of Lesage’s contributions to the world of fashion and decorative arts. Besides pieces from Chanel’s archives (top left and above left), displays include embroidered outfits it has created for other fashion houses, including Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga, as well as Beyonce for her Renaissance world tour (top right and above right).
Before founders Albert and Marie‑Louise Lesage took over in 1924, the atelier went by the name of Michonet and served couture greats such as Charles Frederick Worth, Paquin and Madeleine Vionnet, whom Marie‑Louise assisted, specialising in embroidery. Elsa Schiaparelli was a close collaborator in the 1930s, and after Albert passed on in 1949, his then 20‑year‑old son Francois steered the company, bringing in clients that have become some of the industry’s most directional names: from Dior and Givenchy to Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier.
IT’S EXPERIMENTAL BY NATURE.
Started in 1924 by Albert and Marie‑Louise Lesage, the Lesage workshop has become a trusted and esteemed name in fashion for its inventive, intricate and impeccably made embroideries all crafted by hand. In 2002, it was acquired by Paraffection, the subsidiary of Chanel set up with the purpose of keeping alive and promoting the heritage and skills of traditional crafts, and continues to work not only for the maison, but also other fashion brands and designers. This would explain its rich archives, which reportedly boast 80,000 samples to date.
Since its start, Lesage has had a rep for coming up with new embroidery techniques. For example, Albert and Marie‑Louise invented the art of vermicelle droit fil, in which embroidery is stitched to follow the grain of the fabric, as well as the ombre system that’s now an industry standard for creating gradated colours. Today, the atelier continues to do the same under the eye of Hubert Barrere, artistic director of Lesage since 2011, using both traditional and new technologies.
IT’S PART OF CHANEL’S METIERS D’ART NETWORK.
Why does this matter? Because with the support of the French luxury giant, Lesage can continue to flourish – not an easy task when the work and touch of the human hand are increasingly at risk of being replaced or forgotten. It was acquired by Paraffection, the subsidiary Chanel had the foresight to set up in the ’80s to help preserve and promote the heritage and skills of artisan workshops, in 2002. The arrangement, however, has not stopped it from running independently: All metiers d’Art owned by Chanel continue to work with other designers and fashion houses. In 2021, Lesage became one of 12 Chanel‑owned studios and manufacturers to move into the Le19M complex, which has been built specially to cater to their needs. Being housed under the same roof as other workshops also means more opportunities to exchange ideas and work with others in the field.
IT MAKES TWEED LIKE NO OTHER.
The Lesage atelier first presented Chanel a set of tweeds in 1998 – the same decade it set up a textile workshop to diversify its business. Today, it’s the main force behind the tweeds used in all of the brand’s collections each year, including haute couture, ready‑to‑wear, Cruise and Metiers d’Art, which was launched specially to spotlight the craft of Chanel’s artisan workshops.
To diversify the business, Francois set up a textile workshop in the ’90s and, in 1998, his son Jean‑Francois presented a set of tweeds to Chanel – then helmed by Karl Lagerfeld – for its ready‑to‑wear collections. A decade later, Lesage became in charge of producing tweeds for Chanel’s haute couture collections too and it’s not hard to see why the luxury house – along with several others – continues to turn to it to craft its signature fabric. Like a work of art, every tweed is an interpretation of a drawing, a photograph or an idea, and boasts between three and 50 different interwoven elements: from silk ribbons and leather to rhinestones and pebbles. Developing it takes between four and six weeks (samples are made by hand and if a thread has to be made from scratch, that’s exactly what happens). The technical data sheet of approved compositions (think of this as a musical score for artisans) is then sent to ACT3, a tweed‑weaving workshop located in Pau in southwestern France that’s also part of Chanel’s network of artisanal studios, for production. This dedicated process means that Lesage never makes the same tweed twice.
IT’S MINDFUL OF THE ENVIRONMENT.
Since 2020, Lesage has made sure that at least 70 per cent of the materials it uses are eco‑certified according to the Global Organic Textile Standard and the Global Recycled Standard. According to Barrere, the studio is also working to eliminate the use of almost all petroleum and plastic‑based supplies by 2030, and prioritising bio‑sourced materials such as sequins made from cellulose.
IT HAS THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF FINE EMBROIDERY IN THE WORLD.
The process of coming up with a new tweed fabric is as much an art as it is a science: Each one is the result of a long and intimate dialogue between Lesage and Chanel’s design studio, with Lesage’s artisans experimenting and crafting samples on traditional looms before arriving at the final composition of the textile. Every tweed is composed of between three and 50 different elements, and Lesage never makes the same tweed twice.
Every sample that Lesage makes is lovingly preserved in its archives, whether it’s for Chanel, another fashion house or emerging talents such as the participants of the annual Hyeres Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories, which Chanel has been a major partner of since 2014. The total number of samples Lesage is said to have amassed to date: 80,000, making for an incredibly rich source of history and inspiration.
IT DOES MORE THAN FASHION.
Jean‑Francois launched Lesage Interieurs in 1993. What it does: dream up, design and craft projects that fall under the category of the decorative arts – past commissions have included restoring the king’s bedroom in the Palace of Versailles and recreating the draperies in the banquet hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India in New Delhi. As with Lesage’s work in fashion, every undertaking is woven by hand and to help cope with the scale, Lesage also founded Vastrakala, an embroidery workshop in Chennai, India, which has a long and rich history in the craft. (Fun facts: The atelier is located away from the city so that its artisans can stay closer to their homes and families, and the two main tools used here are the needle and the Luneville crochet hook.) In 2014, Lesage Interieurs also joined Chanel’s Metiers d’Art network.
IT OFTEN WORKS WITH EMERGING TALENTS.
As part of its centennial celebrations in 2024, Lesage collaborated with up‑and‑coming French artist Aristide Barraud (above) on a large‑scale embroidery installation titled Murmuration (top), which features hundreds of beaded starlings hand‑sewn onto layers of organza. First showcased in Marseille, then Paris, Dakar, Venice and back in Paris again under La Galerie du 19M – the gallery arm of Le19M – it included a workshop at every stop where members were taught to embroider and could lend their hand to the work.
Besides young designers, Lesage is known to team up with up‑and‑coming artists who are exploring embroidery as a medium. One of the latest: the 35‑year‑old Aristide Barraud, who ventured into photography, writing and collaging after retiring from professional rugby 10 years ago. He has since become a rising star in the art world and has exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo. Last year, he joined forces with Lesage and Barrere on a monumental embroidered installation as part of the atelier’s centennial celebrations. Dubbed Murmuration, the work features hundreds of beaded starlings hand‑sewn onto layers of organza and – under La Galerie du 19M, the gallery arm of Le19M – was first showcased in Marseille and then Paris, Dakar, Venice and back in Paris again. At every stop, the public was given free embroidery workshops and invited to contribute to the work.
IT HAS A SCHOOL TO HELP FOSTER A NEW GENERATION OF EMBROIDERERS.
In 1992, Ecole Lesage, or the school of Lesage, was set up to make the atelier’s know‑how and techniques in both fashion and the decorative arts more accessible. Now also based in Le19M, it welcomes students of all ages and backgrounds, whether one is a hobbyist beginner or seeking professional training, with classes taught by Lesage’s top artisans. (PS It offers internship opportunities too.)
This article first appeared in the January/February 2025 Art Edition of FEMALE