Patou

Born in 1887, Jean Patou founded his first fashion house when he was just 23. With the Jean Patou brand, created in 1914, “the most elegant man in Europe” (according to the American press) revolutionised women’s fashion. 

A pioneering aesthete, Jean Patou designed simple and chic evening dresses as well as the first casual sportswear outfits. He was notably the first to mark his creations with a monogram composed of his initials. 

At the brand’s headquarters on rue Saint-Florentin, Jean Patou welcomed heroines from his era, including Louise Brooks, Josephine Baker, singer Mistinguett, tennis player Suzanne Lenglen, and music-hall stars the Dolly Sisters. 

A visionary with a love for speed, Jean Patou died in 1936, aged just 48. The Maison, which had become a fashion institution, then welcomed a series of different designers: Marc Bohan (1953-1957), Karl Lagerfeld (1958-1963), Jean Paul Gaultier (1963-1974), and Christian Lacroix (1981-1987). 

In 2018, the Maison was bought by LVMH which relaunched the brand under the name Patou and appointed the talented Guillaume Henry as artistic director. He presented his first women’s prêt-à-porter collection in Paris in September 2019.

Patou became a Comité Colbert member in 1961.