Patricia Peterstine:
Hello I am here with Rose Bertin, the famous Fashion designer who led the
fashion industry in this era. So Rose Could you tell us about your family and
where you are from???
Rose Bertin: Yes! I was born in Abbeville, France, a very
nice small little town but I knew I couldn’t stay there forever. I fled to
Paris around 16. The hardest part was leaving my mother and Brother. My mother
was always there for me and my father passed away when I was young. My mother
supported me and my brother by herself, she’s very strong.
We weren’t very wealthy but we had each
other and over time that wasn’t enough. My mother is a Sick nurse and my father
was a policeman so they both provided for us but money was still tight. My
brother, Jean-Laurent Bertin and I had a modest education but a superior sense
of ambition. We were a close family but I left the for Paris but I do not
regret anything.
Patricia Peterstine:
What events in your early life made you get interested in the fashion design
field?
Rose: when I was very little I heard about this
gypsy that foretold your future and my parents wouldn’t give me money for her
to read it. She was imprisoned but I would bring her cookies and treats and
eventually she read my fortune. It said “You will rise to great fortune and
will one day wear a court dress.” I would have never believed that I would be
designing court dresses for royalty one day.
My father, Nicholas Bertin passed
away on January 24 1754 leaving my mother to take care of my brother and me by
herself. It was very influential because I learned how to fend for myself when
my mom had to work and such. I left home around sixteen and fled to Paris In
sight of a job and I found a job at a millenary shop kept Mille. Pagelle, under
the name of trait Galant. I later opened up my own boutique called “Le Grand
Mogule.”
Patricia Peterstine:
What role did mentors play in helping you develop the interests and talents you
have as a designer???
Rose: I have many mentors in my life, some
bigger than others. The most influential mentors were Marie Antoinette and
Louis XVI. Marie visited my boutique frequently and she became a very close
friend and mentor. Mary and Louis both were very kind to me and supported me
and my shop and it is greatly appreciated. They helped and inspired me to
continue in this field and improve my skills.
My
mother is also a mentor to me in my life. She got me started in this business.
I grew up watching her sew and cook and support this family. The sewing really
got me interested so she taught me at a young age and I fell in love with it
and started into the fashion design business. I truly credit my mother for all
my success. The fortune teller that I mentioned earlier was kind of like a
mentor to me. It kind of told me what I should be doing and helped me find the
job im here for.
Patricia Peterstine:
What was the world of arts like in your particular field when you entered??
Rose: Nobody was really famous in this
business in this field. Most people just
ran little shops around towns. I got a
job as an accomplice at a little shop run by Mille. Pagelle. It was a job that
sort of started my carreer in a sense. It kind of inspired me to open my own
shop “Le Grand Mogule.”
Fashion was very simple but the dresses when I got into the
business were very elegant but kind of bland. I feel like I helped make them
more complex with the corsets but still elegant. I also made stunning hats that
were not seen much before I came along. I feel like most of the designs around
when I started just weren’t elegant or pretty enough. They were not beautiful
enough for a queen to wear but I think I changed that considering Marie
Antoinette.
Patrice Peterstine:
How did major Cultural, Economic and Political situations of this time impact
your work??
Rose: Well as you know, a regular customer of mine
was Marie Antoinette so whenever there was an Economic or political or cultural,
I would ultimately be informed about it. It truly didn’t affect me that much
but sometimes my customers would be affected. Whenever there were money
problems, the store would lose customers. When politics got involved the store
practically shut down, because so many high class people shopped here and shopped.
I tried to make my outfits cultural at times
to go with what was going on but they never looked right. I felt I was
portraying them wrong and I thought it was degrading. They call this era the
enlightment era but I wasn’t horribly affected. There were a lot more people
who were affected then me I still had money, skills and was able to run a shop.
Patrice Peterstine:
What were your major accomplishments and the methods you used in your art??
Rose: I accomplished many things in my art like
showing elegance and royalty in the dresses. You didn’t have to be royal to
wear them but when you did it made you feel royal. I hope my dresses made
people feel special no matter what class they are, I hope it showed them beauty
in themselves. I accomplished originality in my art, especially in my hats. I
always made them big and bold and made people feel like queens.
I used
very complex methods in my art. I did math and measurements and everything else
to sew. I wanted my art to be unique so
it had to be a little more complex than normal but my work turned out
beautifully. I had assistances to help me with things while I was working and
they were greatly needed. I had some crazy methods to my work.
Patrice Peterstine:
What were the key opportunities you had that led to turning points in your life
and art??
Rose: I think when I got a job at “Trait Galant”
was a big opportunity for me. It jump started my career in the fashion design
field. When Marie Antoinette first wanted me to design a dress for her was a
huge opportunity and it was amazing. I got many offers from royalty wanting me
to design for them. It was and still is a huge honor to serve such great
people.
My art
grew over time; it grew up as I grew up. I improved my skills and so it helped
me design harder, more complex or complicated clothes. I made my clothes stand
out more and developed new ideas and new statements that will hopefully live
on. I hope people notice the growth in my work with fashion.
Patricia Peterstine:
What hardships did you have to overcome in order to be an artist??
Rose: I had to overcome my family’s money
issue, we weren’t rich but my shop helped greatly. I had to overcome hatred and
dislike from critics saying how they didn’t like my clothes. I always feared my
boutique wouldn’t get enough or any business but I proved that wrong. I just
hoped that everyone liked my clothes and would wear them and feel like a queen.
I had to leave my mother in order to pursue this and it was
very hard for me to do because she did everything for me but I had too. I was
afraid of rejection, like if I designed something and the person absolutely
hated it. They would go tell their families and friends and I would never get
customers or any credit in the industry. I’m lucky enough to have run a great
shop that most people liked.
Patricia Peterstine:
Who are the people you admire both in the arts and beyond and why do they
inspire you?
Rose: Marie and Louis inspire me to be the best I
can be at my art and showed me how great I really am. They were very
influential and told great things about me and my work. I got many offers and
requests from very royal people because of them. I owe much of my fame too
them. I admire my mom for raising two kids on her own and dealing with the
death of her husband. Its a lot to take for one woman. I admire my brother for
being so strong in everything and always being positive, he taught me that.
I
admire any young girl or anyone who wants to be a designer. They can make it if
they work hard and want it really badly. I admire so many people like the
royalty who has supported me and shopped at “Le Grand Mogule” and helped me. I
admire my assistants for sticking with me and dedicating their time to my work.
Even though my father passed, I admire him greatly for being there and caring
for us. Lastly, I admire everyone who has bought something of mine, its greatly
appreciated.
Patricia Peterstine:
What Personal Stories best illustrates how you became successful in the arts??
Rose: I was always in fear about being kidnapped
and other things and sometimes that would affect my work because I would be so
distracted. A duke fell in love with me and there was a plan to abduct me and
do things to me. It terrified me and I couldn’t do much and I just worked
slower due to constant fright.
It was degrading because it was all “She’s
just a little milliner, no big deal.” I’m human and I deserved to be treated
better, it was scary defending me against royalty. I was not flattered and I
did not want to be his mistress. I’m a pretty elegant and sweet girl and I
don’t like feeling used but it made me more passionate about my work. In the
end, it made me more successful.
Patricia Peterstine:
Well, that’s all we have time for. Thank you for your time Rose. Everybody,
Rose Bertin; Queen Of fashion.
