I recently finished one of the most interesting books I’ve read in a while: ‘Worn’ by Sofi Thanhauser, about the history of clothing. In the book, two characters stood out.
The first was Isaac Singer, the guy behind Singer sewing machines, a hot-headed actor-turned-businessman who monopolised the sewing machine business whilst also keeping four families and fathering approximately 24 children!
The second was the equally memorable French king, Louis XIV. What fascinated me about Thanhauser’s chapter on Louis XIV was not only how he employed fashion as a tool to expand his kingdom, but also how much of his legacy still exists in the industry today.
A quick history lesson: Louis XIV became king in 1643. His mission was to unite a fractured, feudal France, and overtake Spain to become Europe’s global power. He saw fashion as instrumental to this plan.
The model he adopted is not so different from the success stories we encounter in the industry today, - the king played the role of the gifted creative director, whilst his finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, was the shrewd and strategic CEO. (I imagine them as a duo a bit like Marco Bizzari and Alessandro Michele at Gucci, who increased sales to almost triple during Michele’s seven-year tenure at the brand.)
Colbert and Louis XIV began by placing heavy duties on foreign goods, banning imported lace, cloth and trimmings. Instead, they insisted these materials were made in France. They boosted France’s fabric production by creating a policy that ordered two seasons of fabrics to be produced per year, for summer and winter respectively. They also invented the concept of trends. “To ensure people bought plenty of clothes, Colbert mandated that textile patterns change each year so that it would be obvious if anyone was wearing last year’s fabric,” Thanhauser explains.
But whilst these days you’ll hear many stylish people proudly say that they don’t follow trends, in the court of Louis XIV, adhering to them was of the utmost importance. “In 1668 Louis demanded by edict that his courtiers “remain fashionable,” and instituted a strict dress code.” Colbert also created a network of ‘guilds’, which ensured that French goods were produced to a consistently high standard, and could compete on the international luxury market. Louis was so committed to his fashion plan that he even subsidised some of his courtiers’ wardrobes to ensure they remained on-trend.
But fashion isn’t just about trade and materials - it’s also about image and fantasy. Louis XIV understood this implicitly. “Louis used costume as an elaborate and ingenious method of control,” Thanhauser continues. For example, “A blue silk jacket embroidered in silver and gold and designed by the king himself, was permitted to be worn by only fifty nobles at a time, and only those wearing it were permitted to follow the king on his hunt.”
His daily dressing ritual, called the ‘levee’, was “the most elaborately scripted ritual of the court”, ie. the ultimate GRWM. Of course, all the noblemen and women clamoured to attend. He even transformed Versailles - once a shabby hunting lodge - into a decadent palace, the seat of French power and cultural influence. Like the world’s most elaborate high-end boutiques, it provided an immersive home to exhibit the finest in French luxury, art and fashion.
Louis XIV’s passion for fashion wasn’t just limited to his court - he was also a global influencer. “With his distinctive mane of curls and signature high, red-heeled shoes, Louis combined the incontestable authority of an Anna Wintour with the charisma of a supermodel,” writes Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell.
But how did people become aware of his influence without TikTok and the internet? That ancient mode of communication… fashion magazines! Debuting in 1672, the ‘Mercure Galant’ was a monthly lifestyle magazine which was distributed both in France and beyond. Inside it were fashion illustrations and witty instructions about how to dress.
Another tool for disseminating the latest French styles were wax or wooden dolls, which were exported around the world. Thanhauser tells us how “the dolls enjoyed diplomatic immunity and were even escorted by cavalry in times of war.” (There are echoes of this today - despite sanctions since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, luxury goods continue to be readily available.)
Speaking of war, Louis’ support of the fashion industry was directly linked to his military crusades. He used the profits of his fashion ventures to fund his many battles, and the widespread dominance of French fashion enhanced France’s status as wealthy, powerful and self-sufficient.
This tactic is not dissimilar to how France uses fashion today. Although (thankfully) the fashion industry is no longer a vehicle for military expansion, both its cultural and economic power is crucial for its position on the world stage. That’s likely why Bernard Arnault, founder and CEO of luxury conglomerate LVMH, attended Donald Trump’s inauguration with his family. Just like Louis XIV and Colbert, Trump‘s proposed tariffs will promote American manufacturing over foreign goods, which could impact LVMH’s business in the US. Ironically, French luxury risks becoming a victim of the same strategy that made it so successful in the first place.
As the industry continues to grow, we’re also seeing other countries using fashion as a way to assert cultural impact and gain market share, jostling to carve their own distinct identities in the space. Berlin Fashion Week, which started on Friday, has put big money into flying in various global fashion influencers to attend. On the Threads of Conversation podcast last week, I spoke to Copenhagen Fashion Week’s COO Isabella Rose Davey, where we discussed how the city has made itself a figurehead of sustainability in fashion. Italian luxury houses understand the importance in maintaining the ‘Made in Italy’ allure - just look at the success of Bottega Veneta, whose strategy hinges on the story of innovative, Italian craftsmanship.
In ‘Worn’, Thanhauser also quotes Susan Sontag, who said: “the French have never shared the Anglo-American conviction that makes the fashionable the opposite of the serious.” Here in London, Sontag’s words ring true. Without adequate government support, London Fashion Week has become the smallest of the ‘Big Four’, essentially comprising a long weekend (by comparison, March’s upcoming Paris Fashion Week will last 9 days). It’s also the fashion week that many fashion people skip, preferring to get some rest before the Milan and Paris marathon begins. The UK’s fashion industry could really use some Louis XIV energy (minus the military agenda, of course).
But despite his many victories, there was one battle that Louis never fully won - that of exclusivity. The popularity of fashion trends and increased access to materials meant that non-nobles - eg. normal, bourgeois people - became even more enthusiastic to copy them. “Every social class was hot on the heels of the one above it. Fashion was commented upon with a particular intensity as the dispute over clothes became a kind of proxy war for the debate about increasing social mobility,” writes Thanhauser.
Both before, during and after Louis’ reign, the nobility tried to impose laws to prevent this. Such laws had the opposite effect, further fuelling desire amongst ordinary consumers. The same patterns play out today, in conversations around quiet luxury, the streetwear boom of the early 2010s, and more recently, the Wirkin debate. Under Louis XIV, fashion thrived upon the intersection of rank, opportunism, economics and taste. Over 300 years later, not much has changed.
Threads of the week
Cost per wear on my Halloween costume halved thanks to my godson’s 4th birthday party on Sunday. The theme was Spider Man, but I figured a villanous skeleton suit was close enough. Worn with Dries van Noten sunglasses and Nike sneakers that have a very long name (Air Zoom Spiridon Cage 2).
Loose Threads
The corporate cosplay continues. (I wrote about this here.)
I watched a great documentary this week about a legendary 90s club in London called Trade. My favourite bit is an iconic scene when the owner goes shopping at Mugler to choose a new party look (he instructs them to deliver it to his office). You can watch it on YouTube here.
The newsletter Dirt has started a new tennis vertical called ‘Strung’ (great name). I’m not much of a tennis fan, though, so initially I thought it wasn’t for me. Until I found myself reading Marlowe Granados’ piece on the bus. Dirt is really best in class.
Deutsche Bank are teaching their employees about DeepSeek via the universal language of meme. Also, when did the FT get so funny?
Speaking of fun at the FT, pparently Phoebe Philo is guest editing an issue of their HTSI magazine. Can’t remember where I read this, so it might be magical thinking.
A few months ago, I listened to the audiobook of Julia Fox’s ‘Down the Drain’. I thought it was fantastic. I also thought that she used the word ‘maniacally’ a lot. In a moment of procrastination whilst writing this newsletter, I decided to to figure out exactly how many times it appears in the book. The answer is four.
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Did you make it through this week’s giant essay? Or did you skip to the end for the Deutsche Bank memes? Or are you a history buff and knew all this already? Let me know in the comments.
holy hell i need to read this book
I need to read this book! The dolls bit reminds me of the puppet show that Moschino did for one of the pandemic seasons.