ARTISANS OF FASHION

French filmmaker Julie Georgia Bernard celebrates three Parisian artisans behind the art of haute couture, in her ode to fashion

ho makes my clothes?” it’s a question we asked ourselves numerous times this Fashion issue. It’s a question we need to know the answer to, when it comes to haute couture—the highest echelon of fashion. Haute couture is where a fashion designer showcases what he or she is capable of—in terms of ideas and technical skills. And in France, the epicentre of high fashion, the traditional artisans play a big part in creating these collections. In her documentary Hand Made with Love in France, French filmmaker Julie Georgia Bernard lets us into the world of little known but extraordinary traditional artisans who handcraft for haute couture houses such as Chanel, Christian Dior and Saint Laurent. “Artisans were always part of the haute couture landscape. Coco Chanel started as a hat maker. Yves Saint Laurent always said he was just an ‘artisan’. During the ’80s and the early ’90s, there were four craftsmen who worked on every couture collection, no matter which house: Monsieur Pierre for the hats, Monsieur Massaro for the shoes, Monsieur Lemarié for the feathers and flowers, and Monsieur Lesage for the embroideries. They were highly respected, and worked hand in hand with the designers,” says Bernard. In her documentary, Bernard follows the day-to-day work of three craftsmen, the few remaining today—gérard Lognon, a specialist in hand-making pleats; Bruno Legeron, a veteran designer of artificial flowers and feathers; and Lorenzo Ré, one of three remaining sculptors of hat blocks—and looks at their struggles and evolution as independent ateliers. The documentary is part of A Design Film Festival (designfilmfestival.com) held from September 5 to 13, at Capitol Theatre and Shaw Theatres Lido. Bernard tells us more.