The fabric of fashion

A conversation with the president of Dormeuil, a company that has been exporting fabrics to all corners of the world for over a century.

The history of fabric is woven into the fabric of history. And a name that has become part of this history is Dormeuil. The company, known for manufacturing and marketing luxury drapery fabrics for men, was founded in 1842 in Paris by Frenchman Jules Dormeuil and his brothers.

It began by importing to France, the finest suiting materials from England. Over the years, it has created many innovative fabrics such as the first mohair suiting and Sportex, a lightweight fabric designed for sportswear.

Whille the wool, cashmere and silk used by the company come from exotic places all over the world, most of the manufacturing is still done in the UK and Europe.

For over a century, Dormeuil fabrics have been exported to all corners of the world to customers ranging from tailors on London’s Saville Row to Chinese royalty. And the fabrics have been used for garments ranging from uniforms, tailcoats, livery and frock coats to shooting jackets, golf trousers, waistcoats and suits.

The company is now poised to introduce Dormeuil Paris, its own line of ready to wear men’s clothing and accessories.

“The success of our brand is based on the luxurious garments created from our fabrics by master tailors, who were the creators of fashion in the olden days. But today, thanks to the burgeoning garment industry, consumers dress and shop differently. They do not go to the tailor anymore.

"Our ready to wear line will ensure that today’s customers and future generations are introduced to the Dormeuil quality and brand,” said Dominic Dormeuil, president of Dormeuil.

Dominic was in Dubai recently to sign an agreement with Chalhoub Inc for the distribution of the Dormeuil Paris collection to be introduced in summer 2005. In an interview with Tabloid, he spoke about the company’s history and his plans to carry forward the family name and brand.

Excerpts:

Tabloid: How does it feel to be the sixth generation of your family in the business?
Jules Dormeuil: I always wanted to go into the family business and from a young age went with my father to our office in London, where I grew up. I have now moved to Paris, where the business is focused and am excited to be where I am and proud to carry the name of Dormeuil. But there is also the pressure on my shoulders to ensure that we go on for another six generations.

Tabloid: What challenges do you anticipate in marketing your ready to wear line?
JD: We have a strong brand known for its fabrics. And all fashion originates from and is inspired by fabric. So our ready to wear will be a natural development of what we are already doing in fabrics.

But we cannot just rely on our reputation; we are working hard to develop a distinctive and elegant image with the right silhouettes and accessories. We are targeting a clientele in the 30 to 50 age group.

We began experimenting with ready to wear in the early 1990s and tested our products successfully in Europe, the US and South America. We now want to develop this line into a global business.

Hence, we appointed designer Pierre Henri Mattout as artistic director to head a professional design team. Mattout appreciates our brand’s heritage and the archives that come with Dormeuil.

Our first collection will be summer 2005 comprising knitwear, shirts, ties, belts, cuff links, polo shirts, T-shirts, socks, suits, blazers and jackets.

Also part of the total Dormeuil package will be our made to measure service, which provides customised handmade garments and our semi made-to-measure service, where customised garments are created through a combination of machine and hand finish.

Tabloid: What is the look of the first collection?
JD: The spring-summer 2005 collection is colourful, trendy and elegant and made from exclusive fabrics, specially manufactured for this line. It highlights the ‘club’ spirit to underscore its Franco-British accent.

Smocks, striped polo shirts and cricket sweaters add a fresh touch to menswear basics, comprising blazer, trench coat and short double-breasted overcoat teamed with denim, white-collar shirt and ‘club’ tie.

We have used stylised traditional patterns such as oversized hound’s tooth check prints and off-centre Prince of Wales checks and an interplay of shaded tones of blues and pastels. The blazer is completely reworked, making it the centrepiece of the collection.

Tabloid: With the limited scope for innovation in men’s garments, especially suiting, how do you track and create new trends in fabrics?
JD: The consumer cannot imagine how much time and effort is involved in a small modification in the men’s fashion world. The fabrics may seem quite similar, but we play with mixtures of different yarns, ways of twisting, construction of the weave, warp and weft and colours.

To track trends we talk to tailors, garment manufactures and our customers worldwide and try to understand their needs. We also take inspiration from our archives to create contemporary interpretations of old favourites.

Our brand has endured because we have always listened to our customers, anticipated their needs and moved with the times.

Tabloid: What are some of your landmark innovations?
JD: We invented the first mohair coat. In 1922 we developed Sportex, a Scottish weave of pure twisted wool that provided warm, lightweight, breathable and comfortable sports garments and was used by golfers such as Henry Cotton and tennis players Lacoste and Suzanne Lenglen.

Seven years ago we developed the first Pashmina suiting material made of wool blended with genuine Pashmina fibre, acquired directly from goatherds in the Ladakh mountains.

In fact, the Pashmina name for fabric has been registered by us. Another successful innovation named Tonik, was a lightweight, crease resistant fabric made from fine combed wool and alpaca kid mohair.

Other innovations include Guanashina, a mix of guanaco fibre, baby cashmere and pashmina and the microlight laser fabric made from merino wool. We create luxury fabrics but we are not elitist. We also cater to those who want good quality at a reasonable price and aim to do the same with our ready to wear collection.

Tabloid: You have long experience of dressing men. What do men want?
JD: In the old days fabrics were heavy weight and not so comfortable. Men’s fashions then were dictated by social norms. But men had more time to spend on choosing fabrics, consulting the tailor and getting customised clothes tailored.

Today men are more influenced by fashion trends and brand names. Today’s generation is looking for elegance with comfort. But we see a return to a more individualistic attire, which we can cater to through our made-to-measure service.

Tabloid: What is the place of a formal suit in today’s world?
JD: The suit will always be a part of a man’s wardrobe, though it may be worn differently. My generation wore the suit as a uniform. This generation has a more casual appr