Striped Fabrics

A fascinating French tradition

A fascinating French tradition

Striped fabrics are the basis of many elegant creations, a French tradition that has given rise to a fascinating history over the centuries.

It all begins in France in the 13th century when King Louis IX returned from a crusade with Carmelites wearing striped cloaks: in those days stripes were viewed with aversion and called the "devil's stripes," those who wore them were often ostracized.
Things were destined to change, however, and soon striped fabrics were increasingly used by men-at-arms and members of aristocratic courts.
In 1858, the horizontally striped shirt also became the official uniform of French sailors.

During the American and French Revolutions, fabric stripes took on a strictly political significance, symbolizing a break with the previous order.
Gradually, interior design also began to adopt stripes, and by the end of the 18th century they were already being used to embellish rooms, thanks to their gift of altering perceived spatiality: the very feature that long before had made them invisible.

The real triumph of striped fabrics came in the 20th century through the work of Coco Chanel, who introduced them in her fashion collections starting in 1917: the chemise breton became famous in women's versions.
Striped wallpaper began to decorate the walls of hotels on the French coast and major European seaside destinations, entering the imagination of artists and thinkers, such as Picasso, Sartre, Warhol, and celebrities like James Dean and Brigitte Bardot.

Designer Jean Paul Gaultier in the 1990s made maritime-inspired stripes the signature theme of his iconography, projecting this type of fabric into the future.
Today we are witnessing a spread of striped fabrics just about everywhere: from glamour to architecture, to manufacturing and tailoring art, dresses, beach towels, umbrellas, wallpaper: a simple and essential decorative concept that takes on an unquestionably chic twist.