44
Marseille
King Louis was quite the stylish king, prancing around
his châteaux in layers of ruffles and lace, exposing his
silk stockings and red-heeled shoes. He prided himself
on being able to spot a fashion trend, and he knew this
one was going to be big. He wanted to get in on it and
make some money for his country at the same time. So,
he directed his Minister of Finance, Jean Baptiste Colbert,
who had formed the French East India Company, to start
importing these exotic, cotton fabrics which soon adorned
every noble in the kingdom.
Meanwhile, back in Marseille, when the Armenians saw how
popular their cotton cloth was, they had an idea: in addition
to selling the expensive Indian fabric to the rich, they would
make their own cheaper version of it for the less rich. The
common person could watch their budget and still don
brightly-colored textiles and feel like an aristocrat.
The nobles loved their expensive Indian fabrics, and
the peasants were just as pleased with their knockoffs.
Everyone was happy. That is, everyone except the other
textile producers. The linen, wool, and silk industries, that
Louis XIV and Colbert had established in France, were
feeling the effects of their new cotton competition, and
they didn’t like it. They all got together and convinced
the King that he had to do something. So, in an effort to
save the other manufacturers, King Louis went against
his fashion sense and banned the brightly-colored cottons
that had become a favorite at his court. In 1686, he made
it illegal to produce, trade in, or even to wear those
popular prints — both imports and knockoffs.
Seventeen years later, the King loosened the ban slightly
when he made an exception for the city of Marseille. The
fabrics could be produced only in Marseille, and the cloth
could only be sold to the colonies and foreign countries. It
was still illegal to trade in, or wear, them in the rest of France.
Finally, in 1759, after seventy-three years of banishment,
these colorful cottons were allowed back into France.
King Louis XV realized that these fabrics were no longer
the threat to his country that they had been during his
grandfather’s reign.
Now that the cotton fabric trade was once again legal in
all of France, manufacturers started popping up all over
Provence, and soon, France was again blanketed by the
popular prints. New designs were created, and the Indian
swirls were eventually replaced by locally-inspired images:
cicadas, olives, sunflowers, and lavender in the colors
of the Provence landscape.
This once exotic fabric is still popular today and has
found new uses. In the Provençal markets you will find
seemingly endless array of tablecloths, kitchen towels,
placemats, curtains, etc. Basically, anything made of
cloth can be found in these colorful indienne prints
which brighten up a home with the spirit of Provence.
Even though this fabric came from far-off India,
Provence welcomed it with open arms, adopted it,
adapted it, and made it their own.
Margo Lestz digs deep to find obscure bits of French and British
history and then writes about them with a whimsical touch. She
shares her stories on her blog and in her books. Visit her blog,
The Curious Rambler, at CuriousRambler.com