The Rise and Fall of Vionnet

[@zakkz9453]

My​ university​ have​ that​ book, in​ the​ book, it​ didn't​ have​ what​ was​ she​ doing while​ world​ war​ 2.​ But​ the​ reason​ she​ closed the​ house is​ 1.the uncertainties of​ war, 1.the​ end​ of​ her​ company's lease, 3.​ her​ age​ which she​ was​ 63 years​ old​ at​ that​ time, she​ explained​ it​ by​ saying that​ "also because​ I​ had​ had​ enough" which​ i​ really​ sure​ that​ she​ said​ that​ but​ it​ is​ in​ the​ book

[@understitchYT]

THANK YOU SO SO SO EXTREMELY!! I would have loved to have read it

[@zakkz9453]

The​ book​ is​ most​ly focus​ about​ the​ garments​ than​ her​ personal​ story​ but​ it​ quite detailed specially​ about​ the​ brand.

[@blackathena1565]

Vionnet and Lanvin are two pioneering women who are often forgotten in the shadow of Chanel. This is great!

[@understitchYT]

Very much agree. I would love to cover Lanvin for sure

[@ks.f.1203]

also, don't forget Madame Grès

[@understitchYT]

@@ks.f.1203 I want to do videos on all of them, gres, charles etc etc

[@markbieraugel8217]

I cannot believe how amazing she was to her workers! That is incredible that she offered all those benefits. Also fascinating about all the intellectual property issues she fought for with her designs. Stellar research and wonderful video!

[@understitchYT]

A brilliant designer and a conscientious person. Im glad you enjoyed the video 🫶

[@user-fi8xm3kh8w]

Highly underrated channel. I am a fashion student and your videos are really insightful and innovative~

[@understitchYT]

Im so glad you like them! I love the research and the learning so much, so Im glad to pass that on

[@thornyback]

I'm with you, commenting for the algorithm so it gets spread to more ppl

[@chuchulaputa3280]

One of the reasons I Love Madeline Vionnet so much is because she stayed externally over it all the while being a genius. From some of the books I have on her she really was all about the craft, even going as far as making a school in her own company to teach the production of bias which also painstakingly requires the bias be “tamed” or weighted in order to prevent distortion in cutting and draping. She found the bias just walking around always holding fabric, talking to it with her hands and thus she one day noticed how the fabric fell as she held it by one corner. She would even answer the door to her company herself with her hair all jacked up and wearing a veritable sack dress of course cut on the bias. Even Cristobal Balenciaga would buy her designs to study them because she has things I still haven’t seen reinterpreted like the 3 arm hole jacket . What you said in the beginning is completely apt, what a legend!

[@understitchYT]

You know what I love too is that she KNEW she was talented. In the time she lived women just had so few resources available to them directly, everything had to go through men, esp to do with businesses and banking. This in turn led to an unbalanced company in many situations (or just very few female owned businesses), but Vionnet knew her worth and wouldnt settle for anything less than being respected as her own self, her own creative and so on top of her knowing her talent, she had conviction in it too. Brilliant, just brilliant

[@elgranjuanito817]

The storied House of Vionnet deserves better; it deserves its own Alber Elbaz (RIP) or John Galliano. Hussein Chalayan is fabulous too! I remember the fantastic collections by Chalayan, and then Vionnet disappeared just as quickly as it had briefly reappeared on the fashion horizon. It was baffling! Thank you again for yet another fascinating and well researched video on the history and business workings of fashion. You’re truly fantastic. I hope you can get to a point with your work where you can afford the expensive books! ❤️

[@understitchYT]

Yeah, I hope so, too, I would love to be able to get even more books than I’m drowning in now 😂😂 esp some of the old books with more of-the-time analyses, they can be annoyingly expensive

[@tvtt5380]

The sheer amount of research and time that goes into making these videos as factual and as complete as possible is astounding. What a great channel.

[@understitchYT]

Thank you so much, I really do try 😇

[@sophiaisabelle01]

We appreciate your insights. Keep working hard.

[@understitchYT]

Tysm 💖

[@FlaminBeast]

I knew of the brand name peripherally, but didn't know anything about her. Clearly I missed out! You've created a beautiful channel, with such integrity and meticulously researched content. Thank you for your service in sharing❤️

[@understitchYT]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the video! She is such a legend in fashion that Im glad to have the information more publicly accessible

[@kaboombox1581]

I feel you on the availability of resource books for fashion subjects like this. They are too frequently made as Art/collectible coffee table books with limited printings. As such if a library even has it it’s in a main location and not available for lending and not digitally available either.

[@understitchYT]

It’s a good point, because they are seen as coffeetable books, seldom do libraries carry them, which means that the information is either hard to get, or access, so are often not digitized and therefore often lost to time. I’m sure there are countless books with fascinating information that have just been forgotten because they are so difficult to access. Id love to have an open library, a bit like Scribd but for fashion, but because of licensing I doubt itll ever be a feasible business

[@darkovinster2754]

She’s so important to the fashion world! Thanks for this great video! ❤

[@understitchYT]

She really is so important, Im glad you enjoyed 🙌

[@tseamus8288]

I love that you make video about the old masters like the legendary Vionnet..i love her works very modern and chic at that time and also Jeanne Lanvin.

[@understitchYT]

Im about to start working on a Lanvin video now! How did you know?

[@tseamus8288]

​@@understitchYTyayy can't wait!! love your videos so detailed and educating. Thank you❤

[@tseamus8288]

I hope Vionnet label will be revival again with perfect match creative director and team like Schiaparelli. I mean Carven just comeback to PWF this season..anything can happen 😅😌

[@danilibo7005]

Thank you for making this fascinating historical video!!! Truly fascinating what she achieved

[@understitchYT]

Im so glad you enjoyed it! She was really an incredible designer

[@cyncyn795]

I remember when they relaunched in the 2000s and remember loving the “draping” they are known for. This vid is fantastic, great work.

[@understitchYT]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@hopew6979]

I love that she innovated in the face of having her designs copied and sought to protect her IP despite what was industry norm at the time. I had no idea that she inspired how copyrighting fashion works to this day, how amazing! And the first to have a pret a porter line! Possibly the first use of zippers in couture!? Wow! And the benefits for her staff? Those are great benefits for companies now!

[@understitchYT]

She was so impactful and yet not everyone knows about her, its such a shame, but its also perhaps what she wanted? I dont know how she would have felt about her name being continued like Chanels or Diors was after her death

[@A.Edlacir]

12:18 FYI, Vionnet was born on June 22, 1876, making her 69 years old when WWII ended on September 2, 1945. Also she was 98 years old when she died on March 2, 1975

[@understitchYT]

Maths 😫

[@jhoover3098]

This is exciting, thank you!! Catching up with you after a busy summer period. I appreciate your KZbin being there.

[@understitchYT]

Jennifer! Im so glad to see you in the comments 🥳 Im glad to see youre catching up now you have time 💕

[@iragienanth9114]

Great infos and story choices, so thank you for that already. I have checked the Pamela Golbin book, which doesn't give away much about the end of MVs carreer. More insight brought the also stunning book by Betty Kirke and to make several complicated stories short it was an accumulation of several things: in the late 30ties the sales of Vionnet dropped to half from a decade earlier. And that after years of the great depression and already difficult times. She had to sue a board member of Vionnet and Cie, since he wanted to offer copies of her dresses at Galeries Lafayette without her knowing about it. She won, but she would have to open a new house and pay a lot for the back stock. Her shareholders had changed and she would have to find new ones. Not easy at a time when a war was looming. She had a creative crisis in 34, but she also saw the writing on the wall of fashion changing to a more severe cut and stiffer fabrics. She felt like a slave to her own system of cutting. Her last collection was August 2, 1939. End of the month the war broke out. She wanted to reopen after the war, but of course nobody thought that it would take so long until liberation. In the meantime also wages for workers grew, so Haute Couture became too costly to produce for a dwindling cientele. Many fashion houses in Paris did dissappear during that time. And after years of estrangement she also divorced her husband Netch in 43. Hope that helps a bit. atb

[@understitchYT]

That is phenomenally helpful thank you so much! Im so jealous you get to read that book!

[@VioletFem]

Love that you chose to focus this video on Vionnet

[@understitchYT]

Shes a legend, an icon, she was the moment

[@scpatl4now]

That dress @ 1:03 in the video is stunning. So many of her garments would be totally in fashion now.

[@understitchYT]

Really timeless

[@insulaarachnid]

I really enjoy hearing about the older fashion brands.

[@understitchYT]

I find them so interesting too, theres so little information on them

[@wvanderwahl]

It's truly a shame that these private equity firms just want sales to take off, to double and even triple when few understand the legacy of a brand like Vionnet. They needed a star designer like John Galliano or Alexander McQueen to steer the brand in the right direction. It's

[@understitchYT]

But also, someone to reinvent how the bias is used again. Sure we have the galliano gowns, but those kind of draped ancient greek looking garments are hard to wear outside of occasion-wear. If someone can interpret it for day i think theyd see an easy revival

[@mochimochi3373]

@understitch the research the research!!!!!!! Thanks for all the wonderful stuff ❤

[@understitchYT]

I adored researching this, Id love to do more historical brands honestly. Would be nice to work with some museums to do that

[@paulkuijpers]

Your videos are so amazing. I look forward to them each time! You should also release these videos as podcasts because you describe everything so well and have a very nice voice to listen to. Thank you for your effort in making these.

[@understitchYT]

I considered putting these as a podcast, but for such a small channel to split my audience just isnt wise (at least not yet anyway)

[@israelrios997]

I LOVE HER. THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS. THIS IS HUGE!!!!

[@understitchYT]

A legend deserves to be recognised

[@israelrios997]

@@understitchYT If you get a chance, I’d love to see one about Patrick Kelly, such an inspiring man, who created American Fashion history!:) Amazing Video!

[@understitchYT]

He is such an icon, he really does deserve to be covered@@israelrios997

[@israelrios997]

@@understitchYT Absolutely!:) Whomever you choose, thank you for doing so! Seeing you do Vionnet made me so happy!

[@Mal1050E]

Thank you so much for your videos - there is very few media at the moment driving any independent intellectual conversation around fashion at the moment. I would love to see you review shows !!

[@understitchYT]

If youre looking for some people, Ryan Yip (tiktok) is great Rian Phin (TT and she has YT too), fashion roadman (YT) and fashionlover4 (YT). Theres a few of us and I love that theres a rise in contemplative fashion content atm 🥰

[@Mal1050E]

@@understitchYT thanks for the suggestions

[@hansmir5443]

Thanks for the info. I have the book of COUTURE by Caroline Rennolds Milbank. In the book there is information about M Vionnet. She worked for Paris houses of Vincent, Bechoff David, Calllot Soeurs, and Doucet, and for the London house of Kate Reilly before opening her own Paris establishment in 1912 at 222 Rue de Rivoli. She closed during WW1 and reopened in 1919, moving in 1922 to 50 Avenue Montaigne, where she remained until closing permanently in 1940. During 1924 she advertised a New York office at 657-659 Fifth Avenue and in 1925 a Biarritz branch in the Rotonde de Casino. I thought this might help this subject. 😊😊😊🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@understitchYT]

Oh this is so interesting thank you, does the book say why she quit the industry by any chance?

[@hansmir5443]

@@understitchYT Hi😊. Thank you for your respond. I exactly typed everything that was associated with her name and business from that book. It doesn’t give a reason for why she closed her business. 😊 The book I referenced is a great source of the fashion designers going back to late 1800. Some of the designers mentioned in the book, I have never heard of But obviously they were famous at that time. 😊😊😊🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@helenahenry4153]

Hey can you please tell me how I can get my hands on this book ?

[@giuseppebanno4798]

The fall of Vionnet is a fashion tragedy about me, she deserved more than Dior and Chanel. She did a gorgeous fashion for women, that set free women and cared them.

[@understitchYT]

@@giuseppebanno4798 it could come back, Schiaparelli did, but mostly I feel bad for her as a person, knowing how influential she was and having that cut short by the war

[@tiwantiwaabibiman2603]

For clarity, copyrighting fashion or couture fashion was innovative and still in practice to a certain degree today --- Europe, specifically in France. Copyrighting fashion in the US is not possible as copyrighting clothing and recipes are excluded from US Copyright office/laws.

[@understitchYT]

Yes, especially for its time, however, because fashion is produced more on a global scale now it has different implications to when Vionnet innovated

[@broddablack5290]

I’m so glad she didn’t share her ideas. Fabulous

[@understitchYT]

Unfortunately though that meant that she was stolen from often and didnt make as much money as she could have (though she didnt seem money focused so I dont think she cared about that)

[@broddablack5290]

This lady was one of my favourites! I love her master of the bias cut dress.

[@understitchYT]

Such a talented person

[@acearch5ive]

Thank You. So much more info and most interestingly told. Mme Vionnet was so honorable in so many ways. She knew what a potentially compromising beast the business could be.

[@understitchYT]

Im so glad you enjoyed it, she really was a legend and deserves to be remembered as one 🥰

[@martijnkeisers5900]

This brand with its amazing legacy... It's a shame to see it in hands of people without a long time view. Except Challayan. I think it still has so much potential.

[@understitchYT]

They really need a new talent at the helm to push it forward and modernise

[@SeaBlue1976]

Without being an expert but Greek as soon as i saw her dresses i was like "Those dresses reminds me of Ancient Greek dresses" And the fact she gave so much to the ones who worked for her as doctors, maternal benefits That agyer , 100 years is becoming a joke which is sad.

[@SeaBlue1976]

*that after -sorry i am bilingual and my cellphone does not type always correctly (poor as f$#k her)

[@understitchYT]

The way she did more for her employees than most businesses do now is wild

[@SeaBlue1976]

@@understitchYT so true!!!Thank u for the video snd the informations,i will bring it up to conversations,thanks once again, greetings from Greece 💙

[@givemeultraviolence]

requesting a video on the row, please!

[@understitchYT]

Its a must

[@jacksonmahr8915]

ANOTHER amazing, important brand with one end of its history lost in the fog. It's amazing how can happen.

[@understitchYT]

Unfortunately just the concept of of havign a brand live this long was unfathomable to fashion then. They expected it to die with them, which is such a shame because so much knowledge is lost as a result

[@MichieHoward]

So she made the silohuette's that defined early Hollywood era's...holy shit.

[@understitchYT]

She was insanely impactful, she was the 20s version of the artistic fashion company that the big names stole from

[@joannalondon1]

❤Thank you so much. Love your videos.

[@understitchYT]

Im so glad, thank you for watching

[@telfordabugre6639]

love your content you have got a subscriber

[@understitchYT]

Thank you!!

[@theZARUG]

Bad Ashkenazi Karma! When Asheknazi took over and hired a new designer for the house, I wanted a job so I showed them my collection as a portfolio, which they heavily copied instead of hiring me. Ironic given Mrs. Vionnet’s obsession for protecting her designs. Sent them an email saying, “ now that you seem to have so similar taste to mine, why not hire me?!” Never got a reply 😂 surprisingly, but the business never took off really. I think it was just a toy for a bored billionaire’s ego for a little while

[@understitchYT]

I honestly think that how most people see the Ashkenazi era, just a billionaires play thing. Its honestly such a shame, but even worse if they are just copying designs from others, Im so sorry that happened to you. Can I ask what season it was? (you dont have to say if you dont want to ofc)

[@aaronjanlistanco]

I love Vionnet to be successful as Chanel or LVMHs or Kerings it should be. unfortunately luxury fashion or fashion itself is a tough business. Vionnet, Lanvin, Guy Laroche, Pierre Cardin & John Galliano are fashion houses are fallen in the wrong hand of business ethics despite of same name designers are respectful & pioneers in fashion industry

[@understitchYT]

It’s interesting, because all of the brands that have managed to have the ridiculous longevity of Chanel and Dior have been bastardised in some way, because it’s a necessity in order to keep them young and topical. Most of the brands that you listed are still remembered in the original context, and for some that is better than becoming something totally alien, like what has happened to Pierre Cardin. Sometimes it is better for a brand to be left to keep their creative identity, if that is something that the original designer cared about. Chanel never cared, she wanted to be famous. McQueen wanted his name to live on. Galliano just stopped caring when he was offered money. But Vionnet cared and she cared deeply about her artistic merit. So, for that reason I am torn, should the memory of her design be left, where she wanted it, or should the branch be modernised so that more can learn about the incredible work she did. I don’t think there’s a correct answer, but I think it’s an interesting discussion to have. PS I voice typed this so I have no idea if it got everything I said 💖

[@lizaheider]

So educational.

[@understitchYT]

Thank you 🙌🙌

[@MeadowsOfSound]

Well, I WOULD have enjoyed this presentation, but the unnecessary text overlays were actively blocking the photos!

[@understitchYT]

Thanks for the input, always looking for ways to improve

[@mignoncat1]

Vionnet is one of my handful of GODS.

[@understitchYT]

Totally agree

[@omarmyia]

"These products are often without the best design" Hahah, let's just say that.

[@understitchYT]

ahahaaahh I didn't want to be too mean

[@thornyback]

commenting for the public good :) well done you

[@understitchYT]

For the public good 🙌

[@gordonw4542]

Vionnet the brand is too high a bar for anyone to resurrect.

[@understitchYT]

You think? I think its perfect, but needs the right person, not just money hungry tasteless businesspeople

[@gordonw4542]

The cost is huge 400 to 500 million USD in cash and not in bank loan or shares. its two person team. A chief designer and a CEO who put out the fire and lighting the fire. Most business people are short term money hungry. The rare few business man look to make money for their grand children to spend. When I mean a high bar , I mean technical a huge challenge to over come. Vionnet was a Brilliant women. on the level of Nikla Tesla.. With that said its do able for Vionnet but not for Schiaparelli.

[@CLee-qi8dn]

I don’t even know this brand

[@understitchYT]

I hope you liked the video nonetheless

[@peterjason4491]

Wonderful

[@understitchYT]

Tysm 🙌

[@Kinglystateof]

You’re watching Understitch✨

[@understitchYT]

📺📺📺

[@Tomes23]

New subscriber; love your content. One teensy suggestion: perhaps you are using the word “however” a tad too much? I mean no harm or disrespect.

[@understitchYT]

However is a noble word 😂😂

[@aaronjanlistanco]

Zac Posen or Christian Siriano should take over or hire as the creative director..

[@understitchYT]

Ah do you agree with my very controversial thoughts 😂

[@sharon-bp9pk]

The Row soon?😊

[@understitchYT]

I would really love to actually, they have such an interesting history

[@MeganKeith-lh2ec]

I had to leave because for some reason I don't understand you kept blocking the images with shots of book pages. ?

[@understitchYT]

I care deeply about sources, giving the context to the work is what my channel is about, more than the individual collections

[@MeganKeith-lh2ec]

ok, I respect that; but could I just point out that the pages are in small print and there is not enough time to read them, and also there is probably a way to do justice to both. Your are the creator but for the viewer the individual collections may be something they do care about. Thank you for your response. @@understitchYT

[@understitchYT]

@@MeganKeith-lh2ec I hear you, thank you for the feedback

[@MeganKeith-lh2ec]

It was a pleasure speaking with you. @@understitchYT

[@josipag2185]

God love her ❤

[@understitchYT]

Shes so important 🙌

[@telfordabugre6639]

Are you British i love your accent

[@understitchYT]

Yes, Im from Kent 🫶

[@bzztthundaa]

💘💘💘

[@understitchYT]

💕💕💕