Motive part I

Cutting at Geneviève Sevin-Doering

Chapter 1.5

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Setup: Workshop focused on archive studies and practical cutting work.
Location: Association Cultures et Développements, 18 rue Neuve Sainte Catherine, Marseille
Duration: 2 weeks, December 2011

Since the 1970s, French costume designer Geneviève Sevin-Doering has systematically developed and refined a cutting method in which the garment is sculpted from a single piece of fabric on the body, which is termed ‘coupe en un seul morceau’. Her work is based on studies of pre-tailoring garment-making, i.e., how the garment was cut before the Middle Ages in Europe and in various ethnic costumes around the world, before the introduction of drafting systems, basic templates, and mannequins (Sevin-Doering, 2004).

Dans l’armoire du monde avec Geneviève Sevin-Doering, Part 1. Documentary by Hélène Lioult and Youngran Perron-Kim from 2006
Dans l’armoire du monde avec Geneviève Sevin-Doering, Part 2.
Dans l’armoire du monde avec Geneviève Sevin-Doering, Part 3.
Dans l’armoire du monde avec Geneviève Sevin-Doering, Part 4.

In December 2011, I visited her in the Marseille studio. Though she is now elderly and has been blind for several years, she explained and demonstrated her philosophy and working method for me over the course of two weeks. I was given free access to her garments and pattern archives and was invited to work alongside her and her daughter, Mireille Doering-Born, in the studio.

Geneviève Sevin-Doering in her atelier.
Costume for Macbeth (left) and Costume d’Arganthe (right)
Chart of patterns, the pattern for costume d’Arganthe is at top right and the pattern for the Macbeth costume is at top left.
Trying on a coat from the Sevin-Doering archive.
Geneviève inspecting the coat, unpicked and laid flat on the floor.
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