Jean Patou - Created The First Designer Tie
Author: James Philips

The French designer Jean Patou was born on 1887 in Normandy,
France. His first job was in a small dressmaking shop, Parry,
before World War I. He produced his first collection in 1914. In
1919, after serving as Captain of Zouaves during the war, he
returned to the fashion industry and opened his own couture
house.

Patou's involvement in the evolution of sportswear is
extensive, its influence, rather obvious. Clothes were made to
be beautiful yet comfortable, functional and simple, with
accents limited to seam linings and embroideries, as exemplified
by his creation of the cardigan. He developed a fabric for
swimwear that resists shrinkage and is non-colorfast. He also
invented the knitted swimsuit and tennis skirt. His collection
was publicized by famous names such as Wimbledon tennis star
Suzanne Lenglen and American aviator Ruth Elder. Women of the
1920s started to imitate this sporty look even if they did not
engage in sports.

Patou's vision of the ultimate sportswear collection was
realized when he opened Le Coin des Sports, a boutique in Paris
that catered to all sorts of sportswear, including accessories.
He extended these shops to Deauville and Biarritz, both popular
resort areas to travelers.

Patou proved to be a pioneer in ways more than one. In the
1920s, he invented designer ties made from women's dress and the
famous cubist sweaters. He is accounted for the first designer
label that he had sewn to his designs. He was able to produce
exclusive colors through a special dyeing method so as to
eradicate competitor replicas. In 1929, he raised the waistline
of the skirt and brought it back to its natural hemline - a move
that Chanel followed through quickly.

He traveled to the United States in 1924 where he hired six
American models and brought them to France to work as
mannequins. The American silhouette became a point of emulation
for French women and therefore helped boost Patou's sales in
addition to the extra profit that scarves, hats and accessories
brought to him. It also paved the way for his fame in the
American community, which was its target market, aside from a
few wealthy French clients.

The House of Patou was created in 1925. It featured his perfume
collection, the one element that survived it during the Great
Depression when the fashion business crashed. It was in 1935, at
the peak of the Depression, that the fragrance Joy was designed
by Henri Almeras for Patou's former clients. The floral scent of
Joy would create an indelible imprint in the fashion industry
decades later.

In 1936, Patou died. His sister, Madeleine and her husband,
Raymond Barbas took over the House of Patou so that it remains
in family hands until now. By 1982, Parfums Patou was built in
London, Milan, Geneva, Australia and Hong Kong. The year 1998
saw the rise of Jean Patou into the forefront of the fragrance
industry. Aside from its own line of perfumes, the company was
also made a distributor of Hubigant's Quelques Fleurs, and the
developer/seller of Yohji Yamamoto's perfumes. However, it is
still Joy, the world's most costly fragrance that Patou is best
known for. Joy perfume gained recognition as the "Scent of the
Century" in UK's Fifi Awards in 2000, outweighing long-time
opponent, Chanel No.5. Following the success of Joy, the company
introduced fragrances Lacoste and Nacre in 2000 and 2001,
respectively.


About The Author: James Philips is a staff member at
http://www.perfumecenter.com