How A Poor Hat Maker Built A Fashion Empire | Jeanne Lanvin

She started with 40 francs. She built the oldest French fashion house still operating today. At 13, Jeanne Lanvin walked across Paris carrying hatboxes to save a few coins. The wealthy women she delivered to never noticed her. By the time she died in 1946, she employed over 1,000 people, dressed queens and Hollywood icons, and had changed fashion forever — all because she wanted to make beautiful clothes for her daughter. This fashion history documentary tells the full story of Jeanne Lanvin: from working-class Paris to the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, from the revolutionary robe de style to the creation of Arpège — one of the best-selling perfumes in history. We explore how she built the first couture lifestyle empire, pioneered children's fashion, introduced menswear to a couture house, and created the iconic Lanvin Blue, all while remaining one of fashion history's most underrated pioneers. Topics covered: Jeanne Lanvin's early life and rise from poverty The birth of children's couture and the robe de style The creation of Arpège perfume Lanvin Blue and brand identity in fashion The mother-and-daughter logo and its origins How Lanvin became a complete lifestyle empire Topics: Jeanne Lanvin | Lanvin fashion history | French fashion history | fashion history documentary | couture history | robe de style | 1920s fashion | Art Deco fashion | Arpège perfume | Lanvin Blue | oldest French fashion house | fashion icons | women in fashion history | Paris couture history | vin