Submitted by Lily Yoder on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Paris, France sponsored by the Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies…
In my second week of my study abroad program, we had the opportunity to visit the atelier of Lesage. Lesage is a company that does by hand all of the embroidery and beading that goes on couture dresses. It was crazy to me to see all of the men and women working in the atelier. They spend hundreds of hours just on one garment alone, and don’t even get to see the finished garment on the runway unless they look it up themselves. No pictures are allowed in the atelier since they are working on current collections for brands like Chanel.
After the visit, we went back to another building and got the opportunity to learn how to do some beadwork, which took three hours to only do a small section, as seen in the picture provided. Although I am not a pro and as fast as them, I can only imagine how long it would take to bead a whole dress. This is an experience that was particularly special to me because I have heard about Lesage for years, and have always been interested in it. I was so lucky to have the opportunity to see the atelier, because this is not only something we do not have in America, but not many people get to see the atelier behind the scenes.