For the Dior spring-summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri joined forces with Tassinari & Chatel by Lelièvre Paris, a house that has passed on exquisite savoir-faire for centuries, a jewel of French heritage, which created two enchanting patterns featured in the show.
The Creative Director of Dior women’s lines explored the precious archives of the historic manufacturer and selected these two designs, entitled Semé de fleurs and Oiseau de Paradis , to represent fascinating nature, one of this season’s key inspirations. The handcrafted works, emblematic of new trends that emerged in the 19 th century, were originally commissioned by the great decorator Monsieur Despréaux de Saint-Sauveur, who notably worked for Emperor Napoleon III.
The silk weavers manufacture Tassinari & Chatel by Lelièvre Paris*, one of the oldest institutions of Lyon, the cradle of exceptional French craftsmanship, set the standard of excellence in its field from its foundation in 1680 with the Pernon atelier.
Combining audacity and inventiveness, this family firm has deployed constant technical innovation while multiplying collaborations with renowned artists and decorators throughout the ages. It has thus seduced the most influential figures in history, becoming the official supplier of the greatest courts of Europe, such as that of King Louis XV and of Napoleon I, producing sublime creations for Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette in the Palaces of Versailles, Compiègne and Saint-Cloud. In 1806, it was with Tassinari & Chatel that Joseph Marie Jacquard perfected the weaving machine to which he would give his name. Two hundred years later, in 2006, it was one of the first enterprises to obtain the precious EPV (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant) label. For more than three centuries, Tassinari & Chatel has amassed and preserved nearly one hundred thousand archives.
This unequalled legacy is a celebration of the virtuosity of the hand and the plural beauty of fabric so dear to the House of Dior.
*Admiring this exceptional patrimony, the Maison Lelièvre Paris sealed a decisive move in 1998 when it acquired Tassinari & Chatel, which owes its reputation to its extraordinary and long-standing expertise in the production of silk fabrics, combining traditional craftsmanship with technological innovation. Since 1945, the manufacturer has restored a number of prestigious interiors, from Versailles to the Elysée Palace or even Fontainebleau, with the mottled velvet of Napoleon’s bedroom. Without forgetting, in the 19 th century, its emblematic creations for the National Palaces such as the Tuileries, contributing to its international renown.
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