André Laug

A mix of French taste and Italian fashion tradition is what characterizes the André Laug brand, which still bears the name of its founder. Born in the northern French region of Normandy in 1931, André Laug nurtured his talent while working as an army teacher and then at an import house. In 1958 a journalist, Lucien Francois, encouraged him to move to Paris and begin work as an apprentice designer in the newly launched Raphael House of Fashion, which had just granted the old house building to Givenchy.

At Raphael, Laug learnt all there was to know about the organization and the creative process of a House of High Fashion. He left Maison Raphael after two and a half years of precious training and went to Nina Ricci Haute Couture where he worked with Monsieur Crahay at the first “Mademoiselle Ricci” collection for the United States and the “Spring-Summer” collection of 1961.

Amongst the many important things Monsieur Crahay taught André Laug, the most important was certainly sensibility in choosing fabrics. He then went solo and sold his drawings to Philip Venet who introduced him to Courrèges for whom André Laug also had manufacturing experience in Place Vendome. He was invited to go to Rome and work for the Antonelli Fashion House where for five years he designed all its High Fashion collections and created six seasons of “Ready to Wear”.

During all those years however, André Laug had never abandoned his true wish to open his own house of high fashion, and with that dream in mind, he prepared his boutique collection for the Milan and Paris catwalks. It was July 1968 when André Laug managed finally to open his own fashion house in Rome’s exclusive Piazza di Spagna. For that occasion he showed his first couture winter line, which received high praise from both buyers and press.

This success was repeated for each following collection bringing him interesting offers and prestigious contracts with the most important stores all over the world. Amongst them are Elizabeth Arden, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Nan Duskin and many others. Actresses and aristocratic women hung out at his atelier, from Ira Furstenberg and Audrey Hepburn to the Bulgari sisters Anna and Alice. His name conquered the whole world, starting from the rich Rome and reaching the USA.

His fame is probably due to André Laug ability to dress women in a very moderate and clear way, without being excessive and redundant. His style is simple but elegant, Laug’s label is guarantee of luxe and delicacy. Throughout the years, the André Laug group is one of the few Italian – and European – maisons that has kept the production at a manufacturing scale. As André Laug has ever wanted, his clothes are still tailor made, using refined fabrics and hand-embroidered details in precious materials. The final result is a unique cloth that reflects every customer’s need and requirement, directly delivered in their hands together with the accessories specially created to go with it.

After the death of the fashion designer in December 1984, the Italian brand passed in the hands of his collaborators and it’s now run by Laura della Croce di Dojola which, together with the creative director Paola Falini, keeps the tailoring tradition of the Italian label going. Today André Laug’s creations are to be found in all the most sophisticated boutiques in Europe and worldwide. Some of the best-known personalities of the international jet set are amongst his private clients.

André Laug show room