Marcel Boussac

"This will not be without difficulty. "Some claim that they went as far as mentioning the rather mysterious fate of the significant real estate assets that Marcel Boussac owned in the United States and Brazil," write Claude Vincent and Philippe Monnin1."

"However, successive administrations by Marcel Boussac, the Willot family, and René Mayer have left a mountain of debt, amounting to no less than 3.6 billion francs. Before figuring out how to repay this debt (meaning which assets he will have to sell), Arnault's primary concern is to reduce this amount by obtaining waivers and payment deferrals from creditors. He will therefore ask creditors to make sacrifices, using a powerful argument: he will only invest 400 million in the company if his conciliation proposals are approved. In the event of rejection, there will be no other option but judicial liquidation. The implication is that in this case, creditors will have nothing left to do but weep."

"Determination for what? After twenty years during which he has built the world's leading luxury group, what will be his model for the second part of his professional life? Does he see a future like Donald Trump, the American billionaire who is anxious and sensitive, to whom he has often been compared? Will he evolve like Howard Hughes, the brilliant aviator who ended his life cloistered, locked in fear and hatred of others? Or like Marcel Boussac, the man whose empire he inherited, the one he saw as a child from his father's 203, and who accumulated wealth only to lose it all in the evening of his life? At fifty-three, Bernard Arnault offers the example of total success. Decorated, adored, feared, he possesses everything, has everything and everyone at his disposal. But he still lacks the depth, the distance from himself, the tolerance, the relaxation, even the humor that are the hallmark of accomplished men. The exterminating angel still has to learn the taste of others."

"Retrenched in his ivory tower, unwilling to delegate a single shred of his power, Marcel Boussac gradually loses his best collaborators and contact with the reality of the world around him. With the liberalization of international trade, the loss of captive markets linked to the decolonization process, vertical integration, which was once a strength, becomes a handicap. Vertical integration implies intermediate inventories at each stage of production."

"Marcel Boussac is a perfectionist. To produce quality, his factories must be equipped with the best materials to be among the most productive."

"The carving up will begin very quickly. To have current cash flow and satisfy the most privileged creditors, the judicial administrator finalizes the sale of L'Aurore and Paris-Turf, as well as the building on Rue de Richelieu, headquarters of the press group. The Fresnay-le-Buffard stud farm and the racing stable in the colors of Marcel Boussac, with his champion, Acamas, are sold to Aga Khan."

"On May 24, 1978, Marcel Boussac writes a letter to the banks and public authorities, to indicate that he is ready to make new sacrifices on his personal assets and to establish a new management team that would have the confidence of the shareholders. As a last resort, he had brought in a "providential man," Jacques Petit, former manager of Prisunic and then of Manufrance, who could only assess the damage."

"This well-deserved fame undoubtedly made him insensitive to the rapid changes in the economic world and the future of his own group. In 1950, only 3% of the French consumption of cotton goods were imported, by 1968, this would be 35%. Unresponsive to these changes, Marcel Boussac, clings to cotton. In 1966, he still buys two moribund companies in the Vosges which had previously eluded him, Laederich and Géliot. Their takeover is a complete fiasco."

"Marcel Boussac is forced to gradually sell almost all of the capital of Parfums Christian Dior to the Moët-Hennessy group."

"The Boussac group declines very rapidly. Marcel Boussac covers the month-end expenses from his personal funds. Bank loans are renewed thanks to the guarantees he provides on his exceptional properties."

"The Lacroix adventure dazzles Bernard Arnault. Forty years after Marcel Boussac, he relives the same adventure: the birth of a fashion house. For the first time, he feels he has accomplished a work. But the president of Dior does not deviate from his path. Incessantly, he pursues his ascent and seizes, that is his technique, the opportunities that come within his reach."

"Boussac controls 93.39% of the Comptoir de l’industrie cotonnière and its 40 manufacturing subsidiaries; he holds 95% of the capital of Manufactures de Senones with their 30 subsidiaries, which are more focused on real estate and property. In contrast to a simple commercial structure — the C.I.C.-fabric department, the garment “subsidiaries” (Rousseau, Blainville, Tremblot-Matheron) and “Romanex” and “Jalla” — the legal maze of the 70 companies resembles a termite mound. Through its corridors and shafts transit accounting elements and a lot of money. The tax inspectors who were ordered to venture there have always admitted they got lost there {{id_0000}}{{id_00001}} And with them, the administrative attempts at “adjustments”! Starting in 1954, Boussac pushed concentration of decision-making to the maximum by removing the financial autonomy from all subsidiaries. Their liquid assets are “deposited” to the C.I.C. Alone at the top, Marcel Boussac sets and knows the costs and sale prices: “The balance sheets,” he said, “are for the bankers, the operating accounts are for the accountants, the cash flow is for the business leader!” And to call his chief accountant: “Make me a kitchen account: what’s in my cash drawer?”⁠"

"A few days later, Fayol informs Dior that Marcel Boussac agrees to create a house in his name. The designer recounts that it still took the urgings of a fortune teller and the miraculous predictions of another to give him the courage to leave his serene days at Lucien Lelong."

"Boussac tends to conceive the role of the Dior house as that of a research laboratory, at the forefront of its own textile creations. He intends to somehow appropriate the brain of fashion. He says: “I needed haute couture in my main business. I created Dior to get my hands on that indefinable thing called good taste [9](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark14).” Jacques Rouet confirms: “Marcel Boussac understood that Dior would bring an element of prestige and notoriety that would reflect on his entire textile empire. At no time did he impose on a designer to use fabric from his productions. However, he sent personnel from his companies to see the collections, learn everything that was cutting-edge in textiles in terms of novelty, and stay informed on trends. He himself was very interested in the phenomenon of fashion and what makes success. He also asked for the assistance of Dior’s creative staff to supervise his ready-to-wear collections “Pierre Billet” and his raincoats “Blizzand”.”"

"Starting in 1954, Boussac pushed concentration of decision-making to the maximum by removing the financial autonomy from all subsidiaries. Their liquid assets are “deposited” to the C.I.C. Alone at the top, Marcel Boussac sets and knows the costs and sale prices: “The balance sheets,” he said, “are for the bankers, the operating accounts are for the accountants, the cash flow is for the business leader!” And to call his chief accountant: “Make me a kitchen account: what’s in my cash drawer?”"

"Before dressing at Dior, Boussac used to go to Charvet and Lanvin, and he had always ordered his capes and hats from Pool in London. He invariably wears a matching vest and subtle, discreet coordinates, never contrasting between the tie and the shirt, an embroidered pocket square, Lobb shoes whose shine has the depth of bronze, and his eternal white silk scarf draped over the shoulders. At his sight, the word “elegance” does not come to mind — as it must maintain the appearance of naturalness — but undoubtedly, at this time of his life, the word majesty. From his neatness, something unreal and timeless emanates. His suit appears royally foreign to the contin- Physical appearances. Never a stain, of course—he has a phobia of them—but never a wrinkle either, not even the trace of being worn. The crease of his pants is a miracle: it falls incredibly straight, as if starched or inhabited by a body immune to the inevitable marks of sitting. Even in everyday situations, Marcel Boussac always seems dressed as if for a solemn occasion. His appearance is not only studied but seems designed to impose distance and inspire reverence."

"1954; the Dior house employs 1,000 people and operates 28 workshops. 1957: the turnover, including licenses and franchise stores, reaches 3.5 billion old francs. Boussac follows this fabulous expansion as a sponsor who can only congratulate himself on the choice of such a sponsored entity. “He was the most perfect sponsor,” say those involved in the meteoric rise. The hotel on Avenue Montaigne had to be expanded and renovated; Marcel Boussac continued from 1947 to 1957 to finance about 600 million, partly from reinvested profits and partly from his own funds. But after 1957, he will content himself with receiving the profits from this business, which will be the only one to escape the debacle [6](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark11) [7](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark12), and will be able to come to the rescue [8](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark13) of failing textile businesses when necessity demands."

"But as soon as the director finished, all the photographers turned their cameras on Saint-Laurent, with the press destroying the collective formula desired by Marcel Boussac. The young designer’s first collection is a triumph and, uniquely in the annals of Dior, he receives the honorific consecration on the balcony of 30 Avenue Montaigne. For the second time, Marcel Boussac is fortunate to come across the genius of a new generation. He attends with satisfaction the movement that propels Saint-Laurent towards glory."

"But it was in 1949 that the initiative was taken which would experience astounding expansion and then be imitated by other fashion designers: the signing of a first licensing contract for stockings and ties in the United States. The development of the “license” activity experienced such momentum that today it represents 80% of the turnover of the house [5](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark10). An innovator in this field as he was a pioneer of ready-to-wear, Christian Dior was only reluctantly followed in this direction by Marcel Boussac. The industrialist would have preferred to leave haute couture on a pedestal. He feared that widespread dissemination would diminish Dior’s prestige. He would have preferred the house to retain its exclusive character. Commercial expansion was thus carried out against his ideas. The roles were reversed: the sponsor was a supporter of luxury craftsmanship and it was the creator who advocated the exploitation of the brand."

"In November 1960, Yves Saint-Laurent is definitively reformed and goes to Morocco to rest. When he returns, he finds himself in the midst of Bohan’s triumph. He seeks to meet Marcel Boussac. The latter, uncomfortable, asks for time to think about a formula that would allow for the creation of two positions. In short, months pass, Boussac procrastinates, until, tired of these delays, Yves Saint-Laurent sends him a formal notice in the spring of 1961, acknowledging the management’s refusal to restore his position and noting the breach of contract. The textile king jumps, but it is too late to go back, as Pierre Berger was then founding his own house for the new great couturier."

"Maxim’s remains for him the best restaurant. Why change it? There are few opportunities for change in Marcel Boussac’s life. His private life follows a pre-established calendar."

"Christian Dior also managed to bring into his success all the craftsmanship, dormant during the war, of corset makers, embroiderers, and feather makers who are revived thanks to this frenzy of creation and rediscovered splendor. When his second collection pushed the “new look” line to its ultimate consequences and his dresses reached an improbable yardage, he was accused of having been dictated to by Marcel Boussac this extravagant expenditure of fabric. Christian Dior replied that it was false and that neither this fashion nor the use of his own fabrics were ever imposed on him by Marcel Boussac: “In truth, Marcel Boussac had given me complete freedom, reserving judgment for my results.”"

"In the autumn of 1978, I had the chance to meet one of his closest collaborators: Antoine Aupetit. Antoine’s father, Albert Aupetit, had been the intimate friend and associate of Marcel Boussac. His own brother, André, had married the magnate’s only daughter. I learned that Marcel Boussac wanted to gather his memories, to look back, to take stock one last time of himself and his time…"

"It is from this place that all decisions, from the smallest to the largest, originate. It is there that Marcel Boussac determines how much cotton he will buy, it is there that he defines, samples in hand, the 10,000 different combinations of colors, designs, and quality for the upcoming collection, it is there that he can just as easily plan the entries of his horses in the next races, for this giant can conduct all his activities at once. He keeps everything in his head. He works while talking or on the phone, never writes anything down, dictates no memorandums, and entrusts everything to his elephantine memory."

"“From the first step, I was convinced of the futility of the venture. So many others had strived before me to resurrect names once glorious!… I did not feel gifted to bring back the dead.” Thus, carrying a negative response, he went to Rue Poissonnière to the appointment set by Marcel Boussac. But by chance of human affinities, having come to say “no,” Dior left the meeting with almost… his own house."

"The industrialist asked Rouët to submit a replacement solution while Yves Saint-Laurent fulfilled his military obligations. Four were proposed. One of them consisted of recalling Marc Bohan, who had been hired for the London boutique in 1958 but was about to join Révillon. Marcel Boussac decided: “Your solutions,” he said to Rouet, “except for one, are external to the house. I prefer a solution that comes from inside, especially if it is temporary. So I choose to entrust the creation to Marc Bohan. Sort it out, Mr. Rouët, arrange this with Révillon!”"

"All highlight the discovery of “an outstanding industrialist” in the tradition of great American business leaders, whose aim is to provide the largest number of people with the fabrics desired by the fashionable [12](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark17) [13](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark18). It is also noted that: “Working conditions are perfected: cotton flakes that normally make breathing difficult are sucked away by giant vacuum cleaners, the rooms are spacious, well lit with neon lights, and the sanitary installations are of rare perfection s.” It is also read: “Cleanliness is not a sufficient argument here.. The sense of well-being is pushed to an extreme point. Marcel Boussac himself insisted that his factories — those animated particularly by a female workforce — be assured, tactfully, of a maximum of visual and mental pleasure (flowers, music, well-ventilated and bright workshops, waxed floors or covered with thick linoleum, pleasant cloakroom), ensuring that the worker does not feel diminished in the execution of this assembly line work [14](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark19).”"

"Marcel Boussac’s merit is having enriched cotton, a modest material of popular distribution, with a much more powerful appeal than the dreary constraints of necessity: the pleasure of wearing it, the joy of using it, just like linen, wool, silk for centuries… “Taste makes sales,” he says: an astonishingly prophetic observation if one considers that the pope of industrial aesthetics, Raymond Loewy, would redesign refrigerators and copying machines in the United States in the 1930s, inspired by a slogan derived from his: “Ugliness sells poorly.” The famous formula discovered by Boussac dictates his market conquest strategy."

"when Marcel Boussac sees his horse win, the blood rush to his face remains non-existent. His pulse continues to beat at fifty, as if nothing could affect him. In medical terms, this is called an “absence of the vagus-sympathetic system."

"he newcomer has a chance to obtain, thanks to his protector, agreements on prices, assurances on quantities to deliver, guarantees on quality. When Marcel Boussac wants to create a cotton waste treatment business, Paul Léderlin will make a premises available at B.T.T. When he wants to hire a collaborator from the Dye Works, the generous mentor will respond to the subordinate who asks for permission to go work for “Monsieur Marcel”"

"But in 1960, he lost the benefit of the military deferment he had obtained some time before Dior’s death. Reason: the need for men in Algeria. Messmer granted him, to allow him to ensure the July 1960 collection, a final incorporation deadline that the political context did not allow to extend beyond September e: General de Gaulle had thundered in the Council of Ministers against the “draft dodgers” and Marcel Boussac found himself in an embarrassing situation because L’Aurore, very “French Algeria”, had launched a campaign against Jacques Charrier, Brigitte Bardot’s ex-husband, who was also trying to escape conscription. Unpleasant tangle!"

"On September 23, 1918, a letter from Marcel Boussac to the Minister of Commerce, regarding difficulties encountered in transporting 2,000 bales of cotton from Le Havre to Epinal, numbers 15,000 workers threatened with unemployment due to lack of supply. It is therefore 15,000 workers that Boussac employs. And if we believe the senatorial report, he would have sold to the administration for 24 million in goods, or 75 million current francs[3](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark3) [4](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark4), a count established at the beginning of 1917. Twenty-seven years old, two years of war: he has already built his fortune!"

"A player, Marcel Boussac? He plays the situation, never chance. He doesn’t bet on the unknown, but on the future. A glory of horse racing, he never bets on the races, as he sees too many imponderables there, but he says: “Events are not the effect of chance, they most often stem from the facts themselves”: an obviousness that takes on the strength of a principle and the rigor of a method in him. Probe realities to measure the possible."

"Marcel Boussac, taking the floor, begins either with a lecture: “I will explain in two words what the Common Market means,” or with an apocalyptic speech: “With the policy the current government is pursuing, we are headed straight for disaster,” interspersed with a few well-placed praises of himself. But these enlightening demonstrations drag on, so by the time the delegates can ask questions, dizzy from political economy and with empty stomachs, they are eager to go to lunch and just want to go home, inspired if not informed."

"Marcel Boussac crossed his path: “When it was necessary to start war productions,” he told me, “I was in contact with Louis Loucheur. When the Germans attacked us with gas, I received a message from him that was roughly summed up as follows: ‘We urgently need to manufacture gas masks. Can you take care of it?’ “Fifteen days later, we started production, and everything necessary was delivered with extraordinary speed.”"

"Everything was about to change at the corner of rue Saint-Florentin and rue Saint-Honoré. The director of Philippe et Gaston, Henri Vigoureux, was heading towards rue Royale and “ran into” his old friend from Granville: Christian Dior. Reunion after years, effusions, embraces. And suddenly, Henri Vigoureux exclaims: — The sky puts you in my path! Marcel Boussac, the owner of Philippe et Gaston, is looking for a designer capable of breathing new life into the old house he wants to revive. Do you know anyone? Christian Dior thinks. At first glance, no, he doesn’t consider anyone: — I don’t see the rare bird who could fulfill such a perilous task."

"As long as logistics follow, the leader, assured of his back, can leisurely fine-tune his strategy. As early as 1943, Marcel Boussac had his companies ready for the day of the “recovery.” Just as in January 1917, he had created the company endowed with this important capital, the C.I.C., which was supposed to allow him, when the time came, to buy out businesses that emerged bloodless from the war, he provided himself, as early as the summer of 1943, with all the “ammunition” he might need to cross a new threshold in his growth."

"And finally Dior strikes a very sensitive chord in him: this business and money broker is fascinated by creation. Many signs indicate that he aspires to create himself: Jacques Rouet testifies to this a little further on. It is certain that Marcel Boussac feels creation as something sacred, a mystery that overflows the simple know-how recipes, and even the considerable powers he attributes to the meticulous pursuit of perfection. Perhaps he knows that Beauty is not of the same essence as mediocrity, is not merely improved mediocrity. The total freedom that the autocrat respects in Christian Dior finds its explanation here."

"“Finally, we managed to find the necessary execution staff, and the time came to present his staff to Mr. Boussac. I did not hide from him that this team represented quite a luxury for a house set up in a small building and whose production was in principle to be aimed at a limited clientele. But the quality I desired, based on the perfection of the fine-tuning, our offensive required the deployment of great means. Marcel Boussac accepted my point of view very well, which was not that of a megalomaniac but of a conscientious craftsman.”"

"This takes place in July 1946. From then on, the House of Dior is established. The company [2](private://read/01jjdy9maqdsy9c2bv37rfja01/#bookmark3) is formed on October 8, 1946, with Marcel Boussac, through companies in his group, being the sole owner and contributing the sum of 5 million old francs. The investment originally would today correspond to about 700,000 francs, but how could one nowadays, with that amount, buy a lease on Avenue Montaigne, finance renovations, hire sixty people, and launch a collection?"

"Marcel Boussac confirms: “I always left Dior completely free with his creation. I thought everything had to be done to perfection. It was actually rather him when the hotel was being fitted out."