In her small workshop in the Loire, Emilie Cuzin makes historical costumes. Design, sewing, adjustments, nothing is left to chance by the artist, to allow his clients to travel through time.
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A 19th century ball gown, created by a young woman born in the year 2000. Emilie Cuzin designs outfits straight out of history books. At just 24 years old, the young woman created her own workshop in Chevrière in the Loire.
From the preparatory sketch, to the final iron stroke, she makes custom costumes for clients who participate in historical reenactments.
Today’s work: a 19th century fencer’s outfit. Emilie Cuzin is currently working on the canvas: a fabric prototype of the future outfit. “For the moment, it’s the draft. We say to ourselves ‘is everything going to be okay, will it be okay for the fitting’. We have a little pressure”, smiles Emilie, scissors in hand.
Here each outfit is tailor-made, so a suit is a game of patience. “For the most complex outfits, we can count on between two and three months because there is a lot of work by hand. For the simplest ones, we can count on a month, a month and a half, if there is no decoration, embroidery details”calculates the seamstress.
-Trained at the Professional High School of Chazelles-sur-Lyon, then a student in stage and stage costume in Lyon, she launched her company Mamilie & Co in September 2024. The young company has already found its clientele. “I have orders for 19th century, medieval and also to recreate outfits from films or series”she explains.
For each piece of clothing, whether historical or taken from a series, Emilie Cuzin does extensive research. His specialty, fashion from the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. “We have a lot of period engravings, because there were a lot of magazines, there are also period photographs and paintings”explains Emilie Cuzin in front of her well-filled library.
Problem, a two-dimensional representation requires imagination to create a put-on costume. “Sometimes we’re lucky, we have a back view and a front view, but sometimes you have to imagine the back of the garment. We also need to adapt to today’s body types.”completes the professional.
In the 19th century, a woman from a good family changed her outfits up to 5 times during the day, from a bathrobe in the morning to a ball gown in the evening.
Emilie Cuzin, costume designer
Each costume is unique: the time spent, the materials, the addition of details affect the price of these clothes, requiring artisanal know-how. A ball gown dating from the end of the 19th century can, for example, be charged €1000 by the costume designer.
