[PORTRAITS]
2025-03-04
Nicolas FAFIOTTE, high-flying couturier
Nicolas Fafiotte is an undeniable mover and shaker in the world of made-to-measure couture. His career has been catalysed by high-flying creations and an innate talent, which he now reveals to us in no uncertain terms from his studio in Lyon.
When did you first start sewing ?
When I was younger, it wasn't fashion as such that fascinated me, but the creative dimension, even though my mother was a dressmaker, was not totally foreign to my future choices.
At the same time, I was an unconvinced student in accountancy and I was also putting on my first fashion show. I was 17 at the time, and my first creations took shape thanks to the materials at hand: oilcloth from the garden, curtains from the living room, doilies from home...
At that point, did you feel your destiny was all mapped out ?
Not really... I was leaving to do my final year in secretarial studies, but my passion for fashion was stronger than anything else! With a bit of nerve and a meeting with a ‘fairy godmother’, Isabelle Gleize, director of the ESMOD school, my life took a new turn. I joined the fashion design school where, for 3 years, I learnt the trade that I love so much. At the end of my 1st year, I won 1st prize for model making, which confirmed my choice even more.
Was it chance or coincidence ?
From a chance meeting grew an invaluable bond of trust. When I entered ESMOD, it was to be the first. I discovered that I had infinite possibilities in the field of design - with no half measures, I never stopped pushing myself.
Express bio
1996 - First internship at Max Chaoul
1997 - First steps at Emanuel Ungaro
2001 - Meeting with Sylvie Tellier
2002 - Opening of the eponymous boutique in Lyon
2006 - First participation in the Miss France final - Creation of dresses for the 5 finalists
2013 - First creation for the ‘Etam Lingerie Live Show’ fashion show
2015 - First participation in the Salon du Chocolat fashion show - Paris and Lyon
2018 - Renovation of the boutique-atelier by Claude Cartier
2022 - Collaboration with Beaumont & Finet
‘I LIKE TO CREATE EMOTION, WHICH LEAVES ROOM FOR SIMPLICITY’.
In 2001, a new encounter was to prove decisive in my career as a couturier. Sylvie Tellier, then Miss Lyon, needed an evening gown to take part in the pre-selection for the Miss France 2002 election. I accepted the challenge and created an evening gown that met my requirements: Haute-Couture and a touch of madness to make it all happen!
Excessive risk-taking or foolish confidence ?
After being elected Miss France, Sylvie came down to my house in a convertible, crown on her head and the aforementioned dress in her arms, asking me to dress her for her Miss France year. Buoyed by this success, I opened my own workshop. The key stages of our respective careers are intrinsically linked, the opportunities of one catalysing the successes of the other.
What guides your work ?
The first meeting with a customer. That's what shapes the work: beyond the initial desires, there's the location, the attitude and the silhouette. The most important thing is the fit. Made-to-measure is there to sublimate women, whatever their morphology or gestures, but also to reconcile them with their body, especially when life has left it bruised - a dress can literally save a life.
How would you define your style ?
I don't have a defined universe, even though for me, a wedding dress has to be as timeless as Grace Kelly's. I create outfits on request, and they are made to order. I create outfits on demand, not according to trends. I love creating a white dinner jacket just as much as a voluptuous gown with hand-sewn lace.
What is your favourite design ?
I love dresses that can be transformed. Trails and overskirts that give a wow effect, that make the groom-to-be cry when my customers arrive. I like to create emotion, which gives way to simplicity once the night has fallen, without making the slightest concession in terms of quality.
Nicolas Fafiotte Couture
8 rue du Plat, 69002 Lyon
nicolasfafiotte.com
When I was younger, it wasn't fashion as such that fascinated me, but the creative dimension, even though my mother was a dressmaker, was not totally foreign to my future choices.
At the same time, I was an unconvinced student in accountancy and I was also putting on my first fashion show. I was 17 at the time, and my first creations took shape thanks to the materials at hand: oilcloth from the garden, curtains from the living room, doilies from home...
At that point, did you feel your destiny was all mapped out ?
Not really... I was leaving to do my final year in secretarial studies, but my passion for fashion was stronger than anything else! With a bit of nerve and a meeting with a ‘fairy godmother’, Isabelle Gleize, director of the ESMOD school, my life took a new turn. I joined the fashion design school where, for 3 years, I learnt the trade that I love so much. At the end of my 1st year, I won 1st prize for model making, which confirmed my choice even more.
Was it chance or coincidence ?
From a chance meeting grew an invaluable bond of trust. When I entered ESMOD, it was to be the first. I discovered that I had infinite possibilities in the field of design - with no half measures, I never stopped pushing myself.
Express bio
1996 - First internship at Max Chaoul
1997 - First steps at Emanuel Ungaro
2001 - Meeting with Sylvie Tellier
2002 - Opening of the eponymous boutique in Lyon
2006 - First participation in the Miss France final - Creation of dresses for the 5 finalists
2013 - First creation for the ‘Etam Lingerie Live Show’ fashion show
2015 - First participation in the Salon du Chocolat fashion show - Paris and Lyon
2018 - Renovation of the boutique-atelier by Claude Cartier
2022 - Collaboration with Beaumont & Finet
‘I LIKE TO CREATE EMOTION, WHICH LEAVES ROOM FOR SIMPLICITY’.
In 2001, a new encounter was to prove decisive in my career as a couturier. Sylvie Tellier, then Miss Lyon, needed an evening gown to take part in the pre-selection for the Miss France 2002 election. I accepted the challenge and created an evening gown that met my requirements: Haute-Couture and a touch of madness to make it all happen!
Excessive risk-taking or foolish confidence ?
After being elected Miss France, Sylvie came down to my house in a convertible, crown on her head and the aforementioned dress in her arms, asking me to dress her for her Miss France year. Buoyed by this success, I opened my own workshop. The key stages of our respective careers are intrinsically linked, the opportunities of one catalysing the successes of the other.
What guides your work ?
The first meeting with a customer. That's what shapes the work: beyond the initial desires, there's the location, the attitude and the silhouette. The most important thing is the fit. Made-to-measure is there to sublimate women, whatever their morphology or gestures, but also to reconcile them with their body, especially when life has left it bruised - a dress can literally save a life.
How would you define your style ?
I don't have a defined universe, even though for me, a wedding dress has to be as timeless as Grace Kelly's. I create outfits on request, and they are made to order. I create outfits on demand, not according to trends. I love creating a white dinner jacket just as much as a voluptuous gown with hand-sewn lace.
What is your favourite design ?
I love dresses that can be transformed. Trails and overskirts that give a wow effect, that make the groom-to-be cry when my customers arrive. I like to create emotion, which gives way to simplicity once the night has fallen, without making the slightest concession in terms of quality.
Nicolas Fafiotte Couture
8 rue du Plat, 69002 Lyon
nicolasfafiotte.com
