Interview

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.