Bohan, Marc (1926-2023)

Dates

• Existence: 1926 - 2023

Biography

Marc Bohan was born in Paris on August 22,1926. His mother, a milliner, encouraged Bohan to go into fashion. Bohan's first design position came in 1945, when he began working as a design assistant at Robert Piguet. Throughout the late 1940s and 1950s, Bohan worked at a both Molyneux (1949-1954) and Patou (1954-1958). After leaving Patou, Bohan attempted to open his own house. Although notices of his first show were favorable, the venture failed due to lack of financial backing. The same year, Bohan began working for Christian Dior, designing their London line of suits. At the age of 35, Bohan replaced Yves Saint Laurent as Christian Dior's Chief Designer in 1960. Dior thrived under Bohan's direction and the company acquired a new generation of customers while maintaining its original, elegant base. Bohan left Dior in 1989 and from 1990 to 1992, he worked as fashion director for Norman Hartnell in London.

Biography

Marc Bohan (1926 - 2023) joined the house of Dior as the designer for the London branch in 1958 and in 1960 would succeed YSL as head designer. Bohan had fifteen years experience in the world of couture, counting Piguet, Molyneux and Patou as former employers. He would remain at the helm of the Dior brand until 1989, after which time, he had a brief stint at the helm of Norman Hartnell until 1992. Formerly in the employ of Lucien Lelong, Christian Dior launched his namesake house with his initial collection in Spring of 1947 with the financial backing of textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac. The revolutionary "New Look" he launched was immediately lauded and controversial at the same time. Dior's 'Corolle' line featured sloped shoulders, nipped waists and voluminous skirts with longer hemlines, a foil for the fashionable silhouette of the 1940s which was in part due to clothing rationing schemes which conserved textile resources during WWII. A young Yves Saint Laurent joined Dior as an assistant sometime around 1954 and took over as head designer for the house in 1957 following Dior's untimely death. In 1960, YSL was released from the employ of Dior and replaced by Marc Bohan in late 1960.

(The above biographical note was copied from a collection record in FIT's OneSearch library catalog; while no citations are present, it is presumed to have been researched and written by librarians.)

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records: