Claude Bonucci, haute couture tailor and best worker in France, received the medal of honor from the city of Cannes this summer. The opportunity to look back on the career of this great fashion designer who worked for made in France and a fervent defender of apprenticeship. We met him at his home in Nice.
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Claude Bonucci spent his life defending French know-how. Noble materials like Cévennes silk and suits made in France, he has always chosen excellence.
Claude Bonucci dressed all these stars.
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© Coralie Becq ftv
The haute couture tailor has dressed the stars since it moved to Nice in 1964. Charles Aznavour, Claude François, James Brown, Baby King, Lionel Hampton and even Prince for the filming of the film Under the Jerry Moon, the star wanted a large tailor-made coat . Claude Bonucci must deliver it in a few days:
I only had a week to do it. I immediately called Italy to the white cashmere factory, which worked solely for the Pope. So, they worked especially for me all night to weave the fabric and then bring it to me so that I could make the model. This coat is in the film, you can see it clearly with it.
This coat became iconic and was sold for $18,750 at auction in the United States.
Charles Aznavour was incredibly kind
Claude Bonucciat France 3 Côte d’Azur
Son of an Italian immigrant tailor, Claude Bonucci learned the trade in Paris. He became the best worker in France in 1976 with a unique model which required more than 150 hours of work.
He first settled in Nice where his client, among others, was Enrico Macias. Then, he opened his boutique in Cannes on the Croisette in 1997.
In 2024, he received the medal of honor from the city of Cannes. The men’s tailor offers high-end tailor-made suits with prices around €5,000.
The tailor can talk for hours about the profession, materials, style and many anecdotes. His style is refined, he defends the meticulous work of craftsmanship, he notably has a motto: “manual work, source of balance and well-beinge”.
Claude Bonucci likes to recall that he was invited to Matignon to talk about apprenticeship. He was part of a French delegation sent to Japan to defend the sector.
Claude Bonucci was received at Matignon to defend apprenticeship
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© Coralie Becq ftv
2024 is also the year his store will close. Today the tailor aspires to open a haute couture museum in Nice, to share his know-how, safeguard this French heritage, so advice to those interested…
