Trimmings: Declerq Passementier’s Mastery of Excellence

Passementerie, the fine art of detail in haute couture

In 1852, Joseph Bertaud bought a small trimmings factory in Paris that had been making passementerie since 1760. Although passementerie--the woven textile accessories adorning furniture and clothing in the form of a fringe, tassel, braid, crest, and beyond--reached France in the Middle Ages, the house continues to uphold the excellence and pass down the history of the Declercq Passementiers factory 170 years later. Having collaborated with major institutions such as Versailles and Chantilly and prestigious decorators and architects such as Jacques Grange, Patrick Frey, Franck Sorbier, Mathieu Lehanneur, Michel Charrière, Joseph Achkar, Jamie Drakeet, Gabhan O’Keefe, and François-Joseph Graf, the factory has withstood the test of time and adapted to the fluctuating fashions in vogue in decoration. In this elegant book filled with archival photographs of the factory’s rich history juxtaposed with modern photographs of the rich fabrics and material, journalist Catherine Deydier unwinds the thread of Declercq’s family legacy, guides us through the factory workshops and technique, and interviews some of the greatest textile designers.

Catherine Deydier is a journalist who works for publications such as Le Figaro, Vogue Hommes International, major home decor magazines such as Maison Française, AD, and French publishing houses. A specialist on French lifestyle, she retraces the steps of the greatest designers and reveals their inspiration and techniques. A protean artist, Alexandre Réty has developed a passion for urban landscapes and stunning perspectives. He creates installations and composes images with geometric, near-abstract rhythms, which he animates in real time during festivals. In the realm of studio photography, Alexandre’s experience in luxury products has led him to work with a variety of prominent brands and designers: Declerq Passementiers, Chaumet, Zenith, PH Collection. The grandchild of a gourmet chef, Alexandre naturally found a path to food photography, which in turn led him to a collaboration with top French chefs such as Alain Ducasse, Marc Veyrat, and Régis Marcon.