LUCIEN LELONG

(1889-1958)  Lucien Lelong was the son of an owner of a textiles and dressmaking business.  He designed his first collection in 1914.  However he was inducted into the French army before it could be shown.  After being wounded in the war he returned to Paris and in 1918 he joined his father's business, taking control of it in 1919.

Thoughout the 1920s, Lelong became known for his beautifully constructed dresses, suits and coats.  In 1934 he started a ready-to-wear line, Editions, which at the time was almost unheard of from a couture house.

He was made the president of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture in 1937, a post he held until his retirement in 1947.  When the Germans occupied Paris in 1940, he closed his house.  As president of the Chambre, he was instrumental in thwarting the German plan to move the French couture to Berlin.  He reopened his house the next year, with Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain working for him.  Illness forced his retirement in 1947.

Lelong was known more as a house manager, who employed designers.  He was not an innovator, but instead put the emphasis on producing the highest quality garment possible.  His house is remembered for helping to launch the careers of three of the best designers of the mid 20th century:  Dior, Balmain and Givenchy.