Franois Lesage

Personal

Vocation

French embroidery designer and heir to the embroidery atelier, Maison Lesage, which he inherited from his father, Albert Lesage, who had bought it in 1924 from Albert Michonet. He became well known for his embroidery work throughout the French high fashion houses in Paris. Lesage shepherded the business throughout the late 20th Century, at a time when many other traditional embroidery houses in France disappeared. Under Lesage, the House collaborated with new, well known fashion clients, including Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, Balenciaga and Dior. Lesage partnered with many of the era's best known fashion designers, including Elsa Schiaparelli and Vionnet. François Lesage sold the Maison Lesage to Chanel in 2002. Chanel had begun its acquisition of many of Paris' top petites mains in a bid to ensure their continued survival in a changing fashion industry. Lesage was awarded the Maître d'Art from the French Ministry of Culture in November 2011, just one week before his death. At the time, Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand said, "I cannot imagine fashion without embroidery, embroidery without Monsieur Lesage." Francois Lesage died at a Paris hospital on 1 December 2011, at the age of 82. He was survived by his wife and four children. Link to Wikipedia biography