1858: The Beginnings in Haute Couture
The embroiderer Michonet supplied the first great names in Haute Couture, such as Charles Frederick Worth, Paquin, and Madeleine Vionnet, whose embroidery designer was none other than Marie-Louise Favot, who would become Marie-Louise Lesage.

1924: Birth of Lesage & Cie
Albert and Marie-Louise Lesage took over the Michonet workshop, which became Lesage & Cie. The House, inventor of innovative techniques such as straight-grain vermicelli and the ombré effect, distinguished itself with avant-garde embroideries for Elsa Schiaparelli and Jeanne Lanvin.

1949: New Generation, New Ambitions
Upon the death of his father Albert, 20-year-old François Lesage took over the company. He collaborated with major couturiers such as Cristóbal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain, and Yves Saint Laurent, contributing to the House’s worldwide reputation.

1992: Passing on Expertise – Founding of the Lesage School
Aware of possessing exceptional know-how and eager to transmit it, François Lesage founded the Lesage School to pass on the art of Haute Couture embroidery.

1993: Lesage Interieurs – Embroidery in Decoration
Jean-François Lesage, son of François Lesage, founded Lesage Interieurs.
Lesage Interiors designs and handcrafts embroideries for decoration. For museums, heritage sites, and exceptional projects, Lesage Interiors develops and restaures unique embroidered pieces, sometimes in extraordinary sizes.
Born from the meeting of excellency French and Indian embroidery expertise, Lesage Interieurs relies on the Vastrakala atelier, based in Chennai, India, co-founded in 1993 by Jean-François Lesage and his Indian associates. Heirs to one of the world’s oldest skills, Indian embroiderers master both ancestral and innovative techniques.

Since 1996: Lesage Tweeds
Driven by the desire to diversify the House’s activities, François Lesage created a textile workshop in 1996. Two years later, in 1998, Lesage offered CHANEL tweeds for its Ready-to-Wear collections. Since 2008, the House has also designed tweeds for Haute Couture, ready-to-wear, and decoration. Sophisticated assemblages of threads from the most diverse materials, these tweeds reflect unique expertise.

1996: Act 3 – Weaving Expertise
Creation of the Act 3 french weaving workshop, a subsidiary of Maison Lesage and its essential partner.

2002: Lesage Joins CHANEL’s Métiers d’art
Maison Lesage joined the CHANEL Métiers d’art ecosystem.

2021: The House Becomes a Resident of 19M, the Center for CHANEL’s Craftsmanship