Jean Patou
| Jean Patou | |
|---|---|
M. Jean Patou.
|
|
| Born |
19 August 1880 Normandy, France |
| Died | 8 March 1936 (aged 55) Paris, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Labels | Jean Patou |
Jean Patou (pronounced: [ʒɑ̃ pa.tu]; 19 August 1880 - 8 March 1936) was a French fashion designer and founder of the Jean Patou brand.
Patou was born in Normandy, France in 1880. Patou's family's business was tanning and furs. Patou worked with his uncle in Normandy, then moved to Paris in 1910, intent on becoming a couturier.
In 1912, he opened a small dressmaking salon called "Maison Parry". His entire 1914 collection was purchased by a single American buyer. Patou's work was interrupted by World War I. He was mobilised in August 1914, shortly after the German invasion of Belgium. Patou served as a captain in the Zouaves Reopening his couture house in 1919, he became known for eradicating the flapper look by lengthening the skirt and designing sportswear for women and is considered the inventor of the knitted swimwear and the tennis skirt. He, notably, designed the then-daring sleeveless and knee-length cut tennis wear for Suzanne Lenglen. He also was the first designer to popularize the cardigan and moved fashion towards the natural and comfortable.
Jean Patou is credited with inventing the "designer tie" in the 1920s when men's ties, made in the same fabric as the women's dress collection, were displayed in department stores next to Patou's perfume counter. The designer tie style is still prominent amongst contemporary fashion designers, such as Louis Feraud, Timothy Everest, Duchamp and Paul Smith and Patrick McMurray.
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