I met Madame Carven, Founder of the eponymous brand, a great couturier, fashion designer, and art collector, for the first time at the age of 15.

A Grandmother-Granddaughter Relationship with Madame Carven

In the salons of her famous Couture House (located at the Rond-Point des Champs Élysées in Paris), I had been invited to present myself for a casting, despite my height which did not really match the brand's codes (aiming to dress a clientele smaller than me).

Nevertheless, this introduction by Jacques Mouclier (President of French Couture and a friend of my uncle) contributed to a very warm welcome from Carven, who "adopted" me from the first moment as her granddaughter.

Over the weeks, a great bond developed.

Spontaneously, I questioned her with naive curiosity about her youth, her astonishing encounters, her passions, awakening countless memories and anecdotes that she shared naturally and joyfully.

A friend of Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Pierre Balmain, Pierre Cardin, Jean-Louis Scherrer… she never missed an opportunity to introduce me as her adopted granddaughter, the one she had never had. In her own words, she liked to say, "Life devoured me without leaving me time to start a family."

A career in fashion, art, and architecture

Destined for architecture, which she had studied at the Beaux-Arts, she introduced me to art history and fashion, convincing me to one day pursue this profession.

Small in stature (1.55m), Carven was audacious, contemporary, and avant-garde.

She revolutionized fashion and was the first to present her couture and haute couture collections abroad. She was also the first to create ready-to-wear collections, bringing color to her shows.

Carven had the chance to socialize with Gabrielle Chanel, Christian Dior, Elsa Schiaparelli… And contributed to establishing "French Elegance" as an international benchmark.

She dressed Grace Kelly, Michèle Morgan, Edith Piaf, Brigitte Bardot with her legendary pink vichy… and innovated the first uniforms for many airlines, including Air France, which granted her seat 1A for life whenever she traveled.

She was also the creator of the famous balconette bra and created the first Vetiver eau de toilette, which became a worldwide success.

The Legacy of Carven

Carven made numerous donations to the Louvre Museum, which she generously supported as a patron. In recognition, a space was dedicated to her to present some of her works, for which I was the scenographer.

In 2000, she received the distinction of Righteous Among the Nations for protecting Jewish families during the war.

In 2002, the Palais Galliera (Fashion Museum) dedicated a magnificent exhibition to her. I accompanied her to the inaugural evening, which was incredible and full of surprises. She was very emotional!

The woman who constantly told me she never cried could not remain insensitive that evening to this magnificent tribute to her long career.

In 2009, Carven was awarded Commander of the Legion of Honor and Officer of Arts and Letters by Frédéric Mitterrand.

Guillaume Henry took over the artistic direction of her brand in 2010 and sketched a first collection that dressed many actresses and singers, including Beyoncé, Irina Shayk, Rihanna, Jessica Alba, Bérénice Bejot, Ines de la Fressange…

Alexis Martial and Adrien Caillaudaud succeeded him in 2015.

On June 6, 2015, I felt a strong and inexplicable feeling upon waking.

Accompanied by my three daughters, aged 13, 9, and 8, whom Carven considered her great-granddaughters, we decided to go to her apartment on Avenue Foch to embrace her.

Lying on her bed and dressed in a pale pink outfit, she was resting.

I took her hand, and we whispered a few words to her.

She opened her eyes and gave slight smiles.

We were around her, and a few tears slid down her soft, powdered face.

Her gaze never left us for an instant, expressing so much love.

My daughters hung a pretty colorful drawing on her mirror facing her, as she loved them so much, before we left her to rest again.

Carven left us the next morning.

The fashion world was in mourning, and a magnificent mass was dedicated to her at Saint Roch Church.

Dressed in green and white, her emblematic colors, my three daughters each carried a beautiful bouquet of flowers in their hand, which they placed next to her.

Carven will never cease to be in our hearts.

If fashion has always inspired my projects, it was clear that one day, I would create this first ready-to-wear collection.

She will have guided some of my choices, like a fairy, my mentor…