Following and advising the career of a young student, then aged 20, not only encourages a passion, but also builds a relationship with Maison Mode Méditerranée (MMM).
Rémy Kertenian, currently Director of Cultural Affairs for the city of Toulon, is recognized as an expert historian of an art of living in Provence. In his book "Les Belles de Mai", which accompanied a fantastic exhibition in 2002, Rémy Kertenian retraces two centuries of a codified sartorial epic, where dress established a relationship of equals between Paris and Marseille. A knowledge of how to look and how to wear that blends genders and social classes and shows the importance of Marseille. Here's an inspiring part of the story: Fashion had its addresses, rue de Rome, rue St Ferréol, on the Canebière... The port of Marseille was a meeting place for the whole world: an open-air fabric market! Thanks to a workforce drawn from Italy, Armenia and Africa, a thriving industry took root, employing over
18,300 people (dressmakers, tailors, milliners working in factories or at home).
Added to this was the arrival, from 1870 onwards, of department stores (La Belle Ferronnière, Le Bonheur des Dames, La Belle Jardinière). This book, which also covers color from its origins to the advent of synthetic dyes - not forgetting beauty rituals, is always a delight to read!
