From 1949 with the death of his father he took over a workshop that made embroidery for d’Elsa Schiaparelli, Pierre Balmain, Cristobal Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Patou, Chanel (only under Lagerfeld), Christian Lacroix and eventually American designers such as Calvin Klein and de la Renta.

In ’92 with Haute Couture going minimalist in the wake of the turn-down after the Gulf War, he started an academy for embroidery that (along with several other master craftsmen workshops was eventually bought by Chanel) to endure that his craft didn’t die out with him.

Last year he was recognized as a Master of Art. In ’07, he got the Légion d’Honneur and said to his embroideresses, “This little spot of blood I shall wear on my lapel is a little bit yours, as well.”