Who was Madeleine Vionnet, the fashion designer who invented the bias cut

Some stories sound like something out of a movie. Stories of talent, redemption, success and revolution. The existence of people who have helped to change their time and at the same time have shaped the present in which we live today. This is also the case with Vionnet and its founder. Madeleine Vionnet was a pioneer and a visionary. She invented a new way of cutting and draping fabrics that freed the female body from the rigidity of corsets and paniers and gave clothing an invisible, water-like movement. The legendary Diana Vreeland described the fashion designer as an "architect whose creations were in every sense works of art", and her influence can still be seen in contemporary fashion today, for example in the SS24 haute couture collection by John Galliano for Maison Margiela.

Madeleine Vionnet: the beginnings

1876, Chilleurs-aux-Bois in France. This is where Madeleine Vionnet was born. The daughter of a Jura officer, she was abandoned by her mother at an early age. She was only 12 years old when, in order to support her family, who had moved to Paris in the meantime, she found a job as a lace maker in a Maison de Couture and came into contact with the world of fashion for the first time, unaware that she would become one of the most important designers of the 20th century. After a failed marriage and the loss of a son, she left the Ville Lumiere at the age of eighteen and went to London, where she worked in the studio of Kate Reilly, the official seamstress to the English court. Back in Paris, she came into contact with Madame Gerber, one of the four sisters of the Callot Soeurs house, which was one of the most renowned in France at the time. Here, and then with Jacques Doucet, she began her career in Parisian couture and learned the secrets of tailoring, as well as how to anticipate the tastes and needs of customers. in 1912, he finally succeeded in founding his own fashion house, Maison Vionnet at 222 Rue de Rivoli, which reopened in 1919 after being closed due to the First World War.

Maison Vionnet, fashion for free women

Its collections embody the silhouettes of classical art, the obsession with movement of the Art Deco era and the fluid movements of Isadora Duncan, who danced barefoot and without a corset. Her collections emphasize the curves and shapes of the female body, encouraging women to let corsets gather dust in the attic and appealing to a younger, carefree clientele. His dresses, which Vionnet drapes directly on a small mannequin, are often made from a single piece of fabric so cleverly shaped that it resembles the movement of water. Designer/artist Thayaht, who also created the house's logo, transfers Madame Vionnet's ideas and patterns onto paper.

Madeleine Vionnet's revolution: the bias cut

Madeleine Vionnet's stylistic masterpiece, which has made her immortal, is the bias cut. This is an innovative method of cutting the fabric diagonally at a 45° angle instead of following the warp of the fabric, a technique previously only used for collars. In this way, as she was later to say, she was able to free the fabric and thus the women's bodies from the constraints that other cuts entailed. The result is more elastic, flowing and sensual designs that fit the body perfectly and do not constrict or hide curves. In addition to the bias cut, Vionnet abolishes darts and introduces rolled hems. The result: all women, including Hollywood divas, fell in love with their dresses and wore the characteristic mermaid silhouette on every occasion.

Madeleine Vionnet, much more than a revolutionary fashion designer

Madeleine Vionnet is not only a fashion designer, but also an accomplished and emancipated businesswoman. The fashion designer is establishing herself as a woman ahead of her time. She is a pioneer of copyright for fashion design. When the enormous attention for her innovative techniques prompted many to imitate her creations, she began a campaign against plagiarism, which led her to found the Association for the Defense of Fine and Applied Arts in 1921. Each of her dresses was named and numbered, photographed and cataloged. Finally, each photograph was stamped with her fingerprint.

Vionnet, a pioneer of trade union rights

Madeleine Vionnet was one of the first fashion designers to fight for good working conditions: in her ateliers, she not only offered thousands of employees workplaces and comfortable seating with backrests, but also rights that many still have to fight for today, such as healthcare, an agreement on a canteen close to the premises and a humane working environment that took into account the needs of the employees as well as those of the company.

The legacy of Madame Vionnet

Madeleine Vionnet retired from the scene in 1939 after gaining the success and respect of rivals such as Christian Dior, who said: "No one has ever taken the art of tailoring beyond Vionnet", but her innovative creations have made fashion history and her influence can be traced back to many designers who came after her. A few names? Issey Miyake, Azzedine Alaïa, Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto and John Galliano.

The future of Maison Vionnet

Acquired by luxury holding company ChimHaeres in April 2023, Vionnet is about to return with a brand new creative project that will engage the community in an innovative, shared and inclusive way, a new way of experiencing fashion through technology: The Vionnet Way. A taste of what will be unveiled in the coming months is provided by the three limited-edition mini-collections, a tribute to Madeleine Vionnet, composed of about 20 pieces each, including ready-to-wear and accessories.  The first capsule "Vivid Memories of the Future" will be available from February 10 at vionnet.com.