Classes in cutting at the ESMOD International school

Story of an outstanding french fashion school

Introduction to ESMOD ISEM (2015-09-01) by ESMODESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD was founded in 1841 by the genius Alexis Lavigne

Nowaday ESMOD is a network of 21 schools within 14 countries

Cours de modélisme (2014-10-21)ESMOD INTERNATIONAL

Learning know-how and techniques

From the first cutting lessons to today’s classes

Tailoring lesson (1868) by Alexis LavigneESMOD INTERNATIONAL

Alice Guerre giving a lesson (1905) by InconnuESMOD INTERNATIONAL

After Alexis Lavigne, it was his daughter, Alice Guerre Lavigne, who took over the management of the school and opened it up to a new public made up of young women, whose education was encouraged by Jules Ferry, the scheme's sponsor.

Défilé ESMOD Paris au Who's Next - Promotion 2012 (2012)ESMOD INTERNATIONAL

Going International

Since the 1900s, one of the school’s ambitions has been to export its know-how on an international scale to enrich its methods through contact with other cultures and crafts.

Réseau de l'école Guerre Lavigne en 1900 (2011) by ESMOD InternationalESMOD INTERNATIONAL

Alice Guerre therefore created an international network of schools teaching the Guerre Lavigne methods.

Publications d'Alice Guerre-Lavigne (1914) by Alice Guerre-LavigneESMOD INTERNATIONAL

This development was accompanied by numerous fashion publications (magazines and methodologies), which she produced after 1885.

Berthe Lecomte Guerre enseigne au Japon by ESMODESMOD INTERNATIONAL

Berthe Lecomte-Guerre, Alice’s daughter, took up the torch, developing the international network of Guerre-Lavigne schools as well as publishing methodologies adapted for the ready-to-wear industry.

Réseau de l'école Guerre Lavigne en 1950 (2011) by ESMOD InternationalESMOD INTERNATIONAL

Méthode de coupe de Berthe Lecomte-Guerre (1954) by Berthe Lecomte-GuerreESMOD INTERNATIONAL

Cutting methodology that incorporates a cardboard set-square with curves—a new version of the one invented by her grandfather.

34.5 Dessin Berthe bleu et rougeESMOD INTERNATIONAL

The Early Years of Teaching Fashion Design

At the beginning of the 1960s, young people demanded fashion that was designed for them. The aesthetic criteria were changing. Everything was speeding up. Faster means of communication, and the internationalization of goods, people, and ways of thinking, contributed to profound changes in fashion. Style was the watchword of this highly creative decade: everything had to have style.

Jean Lecomte (1950) by ESMOD InternationalESMOD INTERNATIONAL

Taking over from her mother, Jean Lecompte responded to the evolution of fashion by creating the first classes in fashion design in 1970 at the Guerre-Lavigne school, which would become ESMOD in 1976.

Paule Douarinou et Annette Goldstein by ESMODESMOD INTERNATIONAL

Annette Goldstein (right) would be the first teacher of fashion at ESMOD.

In 1976, she took over this school, which had existed for 135 years, with Paule Douarinou (left), then assistant to Jean Lecomte.

Benefiting from an excellent balance between its administrative management and the development of its teaching practises, ESMOD saw its student numbers multiply in just a few years.

Methode de coupe du vêtement féminin (1976) by ESMOD EditionsESMOD INTERNATIONAL

1976 was notable for marking ESMOD’s return to its editorial activities, publishing cutting and grading methods for women’s and children’s clothing.

Translated into English, these course materials were also sold in international specialist bookshops.

Couverture d'un numéro de Stylists' information services (1986) by ESMOD InternationalESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD Editions also became an office for forecasting trends in response to the new demands of the profession when faced with the emerging field of fashion design.

atrium-lancé-masquesESMOD INTERNATIONAL

At the start of the 1980s, the school welcomed students of more than 50 different nationalities at its Paris premises. However, as had been the case in the time of Alice Guerre-Lavigne, many foreign students dreamed of opening schools in their own countries.

étudiants ISEM en 1996 au salon Première Vision (1996) by ESMODESMOD INTERNATIONAL

Fashion Turns to Marketing

Just as the 1960s were marked by the arrival of fashion design, it was in the 1990s that people began to think about fashion in terms of marketing. The ESMOD group therefore created the ISEM (European Higher Institution of Fashion) in 1989 to respond to the new demands of the market.

ESMOD ISEM JLC_093ESMOD INTERNATIONAL

The First Business School Dedicated to Fashion

Ever since it was created, the main ambition of the ISEM has been to train leaders in marketing, commerce, and communication. This training is provided over three years.

It has been a success and is still striving to develop its position at the heart of the international network, with ESMOD Jakarta and ESMOD Tokyo for now.
 

carte réseau ESMOD International (2016) by ESMODESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD: An International Network with Strong Local Identities

With the creation of ESMOD Tokyo in 1984 by Satoru Nino, the current president of the ESMOD group, the school established its internationalization strategy with a genuine desire to provide coherent teaching practice as well as cultural diversity. Nowadays, 21 schools in 14 countries make up a unique creative network that shares ESMOD's know-how around the world. While the courses are identical in every school in the network, each one demonstrates a strong identity, marked by the culture and know-how of the country in which it is located.

Satoru Nino, From the collection of: ESMOD INTERNATIONAL
Show lessRead more

Satoru Nino, the current president of the ESMOD group, is a former student of the school who worked towards the creation of a coherent international network after he opened the Tokyo school in 1984.

Création de KEI YOKOHISA - ESMOD Japon - Promotion 2016 (2016)ESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD in Japan

Located in a dynamic capital that is constantly in motion, ESMOD Tokyo, created in 1984, draws on the energy of the Shibuya fashion quarter to make its mark with a unique style that falls between Kawaii and structural design research. Its students have a real sense of detail and how to create a look, happily drawing their inspiration from the architecture that surrounds them and the flashy and colorful world of the new artistic scene. 

Défilé ESMOD International 2015 à Kuala Lumpur (2015-07)ESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD in Malaysia

Reflecting a constantly evolving city that is in perpetual development, ESMOD Kuala Lumpur, which opened in 2012, demonstrates limitless creativity with its relentless reinvention of Western fashion's leading products. Its students enjoy working with colors, oversized volumes, and the contrast between light and heavy pieces. This results in fashion that is fresh, original, and freed from its rules. In partnership with "The One Academy," an institution that has been training young talents in the art and design industry for over 20 years, the school successfully promotes its image on an international scale.

Créations de Young Woong ESMOD JAKARTA (2016) by Young Woong - Photo de Bertha PuspitaESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD in Indonesia

In a country that has completely embraced the era of the Internet, ESMOD Jakarta opened in 1996 and echoes international and cutting-edge fashion, in the style of the great fashion magazines. If the students break the rules when designing their clothes, this does not mean that they have not mastered the techniques that they use in their off-the-wall creativity, which knows no bounds. Benefiting from proven local expertise, the school stands out in the fields of accessories and knitwear. Thanks to the patronage of the Indonesian Design Development Foundation, ESMOD Jakarta really sets the standard in Southeast Asia and now offers training focused on the fashion business.  

ESMOD TUNISIE (38)ESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD Tunisia

Throughout its history, Tunisia has forged itself a strong culture of clothing and textiles. ESMOD Tunis, which opened in 1989, and ESMOD Sousse, which opened in 1997, are a part of this tradition whilst also seeking to modernize it. There is, therefore, a true fusion of styles in Tunisia. By working with fabrics—either natural or technical—students tend towards urbanization of their designs whilst also preserving the tribal aspect of their cultural heritage. Accessorizing their looks (with jewelry, bags, etc.) is also very important to their creative processes. The two schools also demonstrate great skill in the field of lingerie

53-2048-(20160608-D9H_7930)ESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD in Norway

To counteract the severe Scandinavian cold, the Norwegian capital has developed a "lifestyle" culture based on cocooning and nature. This culture has a strong influence on fashion and ESMOD Oslo exploits it perfectly, training its students to create pieces worthy of a Fall/Winter wardrobe (coats, sweaters, etc.) that call on a high degree of technical sophistication. Far from being confined to the basics, the Oslo students like to stylize casual wear to create chic and contemporary collections. The typically Nordic skills of leatherworking, working with fur, and working with knitted fabrics are undeniably advantageous in the perfection of their training.  

Dubai.JuryESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD in the United Arab Emirates

Benefiting from the economic dynamism of a cosmopolitan and international city where tradition and modernity are combined, ESMOD Dubai opened in 2006 and has found its place in a society that has made fashion a way of life. Through an approach that is very focused on couture and luxury, the students are trained in the noblest of techniques: draping, "flou" dressmaking, embroidery, pleating, etc., with the aim of creating bespoke pieces that are exceptional and unique. The school has become a necessary rite of passage for any designer who wants to open their own fashion house.  

Création d'Ida - ESMOD GuangzhouESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD in China

Located in the third most populated city in China, neighboring Shenzhen and Hong Kong, ESMOD Guangzhou opened in 2014 and is a beacon of French know-how, creativity, and technique in the south of China. As young Chinese people are turning more and more towards the West, with unrestrained open-mindedness, the school has achieved a creative equilibrium between the still coveted Couture style and the world of high-end, ready-to-wear fashion, so prized by lovers of fashion products. The school benefits from the energy of the "T.I.T Creative Park" campus—a platform dedicated to artistic and cross-cultural expression, linking fashion, art, culture, and design and supporting their legitimacy. At the beginning of the 2017 academic year, ESMOD will open a school in Beijing, consolidating their strategic presence in the Chinese market

ESMODSEOUL_defile_03 (Jiyun KIM)ESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD in Korea

Benefiting from the energy of an ever-expanding textile market, ESMOD Seoul, which opened in 1989, excels due to its cutting-edge vision of fashion as well as its technical expertise. They really explore different ways of treating fabrics (texture, prints, etc.) in order to accentuate the design of the clothes. Faced with a very divided fashion market, the school has developed certain fields in particular, such as men's fashion, children's fashion and lingerie. The great creative richness of the new artistic scene in Korea provides an inexhaustible mine of inspiration for the students.  

Défilé ESMOD Istanbul (2016)ESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD in Turkey

In a country situated at the crossroads between Eastern and Western cultures, ESMOD Istanbul (opened in 2010) has established itself as a model of creativity, fed by varied inspirations, the fruits of a unique internationalism. One of the school's assets is the dynamism of the Turkish textile and clothing industry. It is supported by the large industrial group VAKKO, and provides its students with comprehensive technical training. This industrial and multicultural context allows ESMOD Istanbul to position itself as a point of reference for original and cutting-edge fashion.  

Défilé ESMOD Beyrouth - Création de Hayeck Jad (2016) by Hayeck JadESMOD INTERNATIONAL

ESMOD in Lebanon

As a melting pot of cultures and traditions, Lebanon has always been a point of reference in the fields of art and design. Despite inheriting a tradition of haute couture, ESMOD Beirut, which opened in 1999, is nevertheless a pioneer, driving a modernity inspired by the capital's energy and keeping up with new ideas of luxury and what is "hip." Its students do not hesitate to adapt casual clothing to give it added value through the use of natural fibers or particular cuts, proving once more that they have mastered the techniques taught by ESMOD perfectly.    

ESMOD International 180th anniversary fashion show (November 2021)

To celebrate its 180th anniversary, ESMOD Paris has organized a prestigious international fashion show on November 18, 2021, at the Hôtel Potocki (Paris), featuring a selection of creations by students from its internal.
 

Claire WARGNIER, Julia Martiano - ESMOD Editions, 2016, From the collection of: ESMOD INTERNATIONAL
Show lessRead more

Since 2008, ESMOD Editions, directed by Claire Wargnier, has contributed to the coherence of the teaching strategies used across ESMOD's international network and ensured that the school's cultural heritage is preserved.

Anastasia Ruiz Virus Collection 3D printed in TPU by Sculpteo (2016) by SculpteoESMOD INTERNATIONAL

What Does the Future Hold?

At the beginning of the 21st century, ESMOD maintains the legacy of its founder, Alexis Lavigne, whilst always striving to stay one step ahead of the fashion of tomorrow. As a result, today more than ever, the school directs its teaching towards innovation. From computer assisted design and 3D printing to the new distribution methods created with the development of the Internet and the evolution of consumer behavior, ESMOD explores and shares its constantly evolving expertise.    

Credits: Story

Thanks to all ESMOD students and staff contributors

Find out more about the school and the ESMOD group www.esmod.com

The books: www.esmod-edition.com

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
Explore more
Related theme
We Wear Culture
The stories behind what we wear
View theme
Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites