MAD ABOUT PATOU

Zoha Castelino in conversation with the French fashion house's effervescent creative director, Guillame Henry

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As a fashion student, I remember learning about Jean Patou as one of those mythical names in French fashion — a designer who shaped the way women dressed between the wars, long before the idea of ready-to-wear existed. So, having the opportunity to interview Guillaume Henry, the man who has reimagined the house for today's world, felt a little surreal.

When he took over in 2018, Henry was determined not to turn Patou into a museum coded brand. “For me, legacy isn’t a burden,” Henry says. “It's a conversation. I never wanted people to see the brand as an old person. Patou had to feel young, full of energy, enthusiasm, and joy.”

Henry spent a year doing what he calls ‘going back to school’: poring over the archives, visiting museums, and speaking to people who once worked with the brand. “I felt like a student again,” he recalls. “What struck me most was Jean Patou’s energy and how modern he was, even in the 1920s. He designed for real people, for weekends and leisure, when everyone else was focused on ballrooms and opera nights.”

That same ease defines the Patou woman today; she is approachable, spirited, playful and unafraid to experiment. “Even the name Patou feels friendly,” Henry says. “You can almost imagine someone saying, ‘Who's Patou?’ like it’s a nickname.”