Patou

Creation date

1914

Headquarters

8 quai du Marché Neuf, 75004 PARIS

IdentityPATOU

Jean Patou founded his eponymous house in 1914 in Paris. Described as "the most elegant man in Europe", Jean Patou was in many ways a pioneer and revolutionized fashion in the 1920s. Introducing the idea of leisure for the first time, he wanted to free women from the restrictive clothing imposed on them up until then. He was the first one to launch a sport line, making tennis player Suzanne Lenglen his first muse, and designed garments that would accommodate the daily lifestyles of women.
Jean Patou passed away in 1936. After his death, the house has seen some of the greatest names of fashion at its helm: Marc Bohan, Karl Lagerfeld, Michel Goma, and under his direction, Jean Paul Gaultier, followed by Angelo Tarlazzi and Christian Lacroix. After Christian Lacroix left to start his own house, the Jean Patou house ceased its activity. Jean Patou was relaunched in 2018, acquired by the LVMH group.
Guillaume Henry was appointed Creative Director of Patou, with the task of relaunching the women's ready-to-wear line.

Artistic director

GUILLAUME HENRY

Guillaume Henry designs ready-to-wear collections for Patou inspired by couture, with a delicate and accessible style, joyful and refined. His desire is to dress real women – his friends, colleagues, and women who inspire him. For them, Patou should be easy to approach and embrace.

ICON

In 2021, Patou introduced its first leather handbag, Le Patou Bag, crafted from upcycled leather and produced in a limited and numbered edition. A bag that comes in an array of colors and can be worn in three ways, as a purse, across the chest, or over the shoulder. Put two of these half-circle hand-bags together and voilà! – the iconic JP monogram is revealed. In the spirit of the Patou Way, Le Patou Bag is sourced entirely from surplus stock.

INSPIRATION

Jean Patou revolutionized fashion, liberating the female silhouette. The couturier designed dresses to be worn without a corset and invented sportswear before its time, choosing tennis champion Suzanne Lenglen as his first muse.
In the 1920s, he reduced skirt lengths, marketed a pleated skirt for city wear, and designed jersey ensembles with geometric patterns.
A truly visionary couturier, Jean Patou invented the monogram, slipping his initials onto jersey swimsuits, which were marked with the Maison’s easily recognizable "JP".

Suzanne Lenglen in a pleated skirt by Jean PatouJanuary 1st, 1926

PATOU CARES

Chez Patou, we want to contribute to a development that is more sustainable, fair and desirable. Our approach is based on five main lines of action and progress that are already being articulated into concrete contributions, particularly to limit the environmental footprint of our activities and establish a unique relationship with our manufacturers, all with the aim of increasing our positive impact each year.