Dream Weavers: The Finer Things in Life are From Lyon
In our on-going series about French design history, we're riffing on the sexiest textile on earth: Silk. This incredible textile has an equally incredible history that goes back hundreds of years, to the city of Lyon, when a French King inadvertently kickstarted a series of unlikely events.
Rewind to the 15th century: Unhappy with the exorbitant costs of imported silk from Asia and Italy, King Louis XI established silk production in Lyon. A century later, the enterprising King Francis I secured Lyon as its French capital and the City of Silk was born.
By the mid 19th century, Lyon was firmly established as heart of the silk trade. A small part of the city called the Croix Rousse was its hub, where the best weavers designed and produced the highest quality silks. A number of illustrious French textile designers put their stamp on the cultural map forever: Philippe de Lasalle was a silk rock star of the 18th century. Fine artist Pierre Toussaint Dechazelle founded a silk workshop that passed through generations and became the renowned Manufacture Prelle, still thriving today. And the list of famous flower painters and textile designers of the early 20th century who worked for Lyon’s silk industry is a long one: Sonia Delaunay, Paul Iribe, Raoul Dufy, Michel Dubost, Henri Gillet, Clarinval, Karbowsky, Paul Mansouroff, Robert Bonfils, Charles Martin, and Georges Barbier.
For nearly two centuries, 40% of the Lyon’s population – or approximately 90,000 workers - was comprised of weavers who plied their trade in lace and silk. And everything about Lyon reflected this reality, down to its architecture: apartments with large high windows and exposed beams (now the mark of French chic) were constructed to accommodate giant looms. Likewise, a labyrinth of underground passageways called traboules built by Romans in the 4th century became thoroughfares that cut through houses and linked city blocks so that weavers could transport their products sheltered from rain.
As often happens, war and revolution (first the French Revolution, then the Industrial Revolution) changed the lay of the land. Workers demanding better wages and working conditions took to the streets in Lyon, as they did all over the world where industrial innovations were changing the landscape. At one point in its history, rioters were so prevalent in Lyon that King Louis-Philippe sent a 20,000-man army from Paris to seize control of the city.
Today, Lyon remains a world-class center for silk. Lise Charmel and Maison Lejaby have, collectively, been there for over a century. Like the city itself, every product they put to market is imbued with the artisanal savoir-faire that is the hallmark of French haute couture. History buffs interested in the finer details of this rich heritage in Lyon can visit the Musee des Tissues et des Arts Decoratifs , the Atelier de Soierie , and La Maison des Canuts .
©Denis & Fils
Rewind to the 15th century: Unhappy with the exorbitant costs of imported silk from Asia and Italy, King Louis XI established silk production in Lyon. A century later, the enterprising King Francis I secured Lyon as its French capital and the City of Silk was born.
By the mid 19th century, Lyon was firmly established as heart of the silk trade. A small part of the city called the Croix Rousse was its hub, where the best weavers designed and produced the highest quality silks. A number of illustrious French textile designers put their stamp on the cultural map forever: Philippe de Lasalle was a silk rock star of the 18th century. Fine artist Pierre Toussaint Dechazelle founded a silk workshop that passed through generations and became the renowned Manufacture Prelle, still thriving today. And the list of famous flower painters and textile designers of the early 20th century who worked for Lyon’s silk industry is a long one: Sonia Delaunay, Paul Iribe, Raoul Dufy, Michel Dubost, Henri Gillet, Clarinval, Karbowsky, Paul Mansouroff, Robert Bonfils, Charles Martin, and Georges Barbier.
For nearly two centuries, 40% of the Lyon’s population – or approximately 90,000 workers - was comprised of weavers who plied their trade in lace and silk. And everything about Lyon reflected this reality, down to its architecture: apartments with large high windows and exposed beams (now the mark of French chic) were constructed to accommodate giant looms. Likewise, a labyrinth of underground passageways called traboules built by Romans in the 4th century became thoroughfares that cut through houses and linked city blocks so that weavers could transport their products sheltered from rain.
As often happens, war and revolution (first the French Revolution, then the Industrial Revolution) changed the lay of the land. Workers demanding better wages and working conditions took to the streets in Lyon, as they did all over the world where industrial innovations were changing the landscape. At one point in its history, rioters were so prevalent in Lyon that King Louis-Philippe sent a 20,000-man army from Paris to seize control of the city.
Today, Lyon remains a world-class center for silk. Lise Charmel and Maison Lejaby have, collectively, been there for over a century. Like the city itself, every product they put to market is imbued with the artisanal savoir-faire that is the hallmark of French haute couture. History buffs interested in the finer details of this rich heritage in Lyon can visit the Musee des Tissues et des Arts Decoratifs , the Atelier de Soierie , and La Maison des Canuts .
©Denis & Fils
August 31, 2015
