Craftsmanship since 1841

Craftsmanship has been ESMOD’s cornerstone since our founding by Alexis Lavigne, master tailor to the Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III of the nineteenth century. He was the inventor of many patented tools still used in sewing, including the model's bust and the tape measure.

He published numerous texts, including his ground-breaking scientific method for pattern-making and cutting, which enabled the emergence of ready-to-wear manufacturing, having a democratizing effect on fashion and gave rise to ESMOD Editions. These published works evolved into regularly updated textbooks that remain the foundation of ESMOD teaching. Alexis Lavigne's investment in knowledge trasmission led him to open his first Lavigne cutting courses, ancestors of the ESMOD school, in 1841 where apprentice tailors came to train.

Cutting courses in the ESMOD INTERNATIONAL Group

In 1885, upon the death of Alexis Lavigne, his daughter, Alice Guerre, took over management of the school and opened it to a new public: young ladies.

As early as 1900, the Guerre-Lavigne school already sought to export its expertise internationally in order to enrich its methods through contact with other cultures and crafts.

The 1960s marked a turning point in ESMOD’s focus when the designing of clothes became pre-eminent, bringing to the forefront the role of designer. In 1976, the École Guerre-Lavigne took the name of ESMOD.

Always striving to meet the needs of an ever-evolving industry, when the marketing of fashion grew in importance in the late 1980s, ESMOD opened ISEM, the first business school dedicated to fashion. Now called ESMOD Fashion Business, it serves as a training ground for tomorrow’s specialists in sales, marketing, communications and management.

In 1984, the first ESMOD outside of Paris was founded by ESMOD alumnus Satoru Nino. Other forward-thinking fashion veterans followed suit, opening branches from Seoul to Dubai, and from Oslo to Beijing, creating by far the world’s largest group of fashion schools. While our shared curriculum allows students comparatively seamless study abroad experiences within the ESMOD network, we take pride in celebrating the diverse cultures of each of ESMOD’s 18 schools in 12 countries.