Patrick Frey shares history of French textiles in Jeddah

23 Feb '12

2 min read

Patrick Frey, art director at the prestigious French design house Pierre Frey, shared the history of French textiles at a lecture organized in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by the French Consul General.

Mr. Patrick took the local audience on a journey of French textiles, sharing with them the origins of the popular French textiles, the story of Pierre Frey, and the secret behind the creation of beautiful fabrics for more than 75 years.

With the help of some 30,000 digital images, he presented the story of French textile from the Renaissance period to the 21st century. During the process, he explained the change in tastes in tune with the needs and ideals of respective historic periods.

Louis XIV fabrics from the 17th century had Chinese-Indian elements and big stylized flowers.

Queen Marie Antoinette's fabrics had symmetrical trimmings, flowers, crystals, pearls and animals, designed according to the aesthetics of the 18th century.

Fabrics of Napoleon Bonaparte era had heavier and more masculine iconography, with an Egyptian influence.

A particularly significant period highlighted by Mr. Patrick in his lecture was the second half of the 20th century. He said the print of the moon designed after the first man landed on it, is part of their collection since 1971.

Pierre Frey, founded in 1935, designs, creates and manufactures fabrics and wallpapers in the purest French tradition. In addition to Pierre Frey designs, the company's rich collection of over 7,000 items includes collections from the company's other three prestigious brands – Braquenié, Fadini Borghi and Boussac.

Pierre Frey employs about 300 people and exports 70 percent of its products all across the globe.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India