JACQUES GRIFFE

(1917 - 1996) Jacques Griffe was one of the great French couturiers of the mid 20th Century.  As a boy, Griffe was taught sewing, first by his seanstress mother, and then by a local tailor.  He then worked for and trained with Mirra, a couturier in Toulouse.  In 1936 he went to Paris where he was employed by  Vionnet.  There he learned the art of draping and cutting the fabric the Vionnet way - using a small jointed mannequin.

After WWII, Griffe worked briefly as an assistant to Molyneux, and opened his own design establishment in 1946. Though his collections were small, he gained attention in the fashion press.  In 1950, he took over the house of Molyneux, who was retiring. Besides his couture collections, Griffe also did a ready-to-wear line, "Evolution."

Griffe was known for the cut and drape of his garments - a lasting effect of his years at Vionnet.  He retired in 1968.