Draft:Ström Paris

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STRÖM PARIS
Founded1848 in Paris
FounderOlé Olsen Ström

Maison Ström was a French fashion house specialising in sportswear, particularly for the automobile and aviation industries, active mainly in the 2nd half of the 19th century and early 20th century.

History

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Ström was founded in 1848 by Olé Olsen Ström, a Norwegian tailor born in 1827 who settled in France at the age of 21. His establishment was initially known as "tailleur scandinave" (Scandinavian tailor).

Olé Olsen Ström and his sons have been associated with the development of early automotive sportswear [1],[2] and is linked to the rise in popularity of the automobile [3]. Clothing made by the company were worn by early automobile racers including Alfred Velghe, Léon Théry, Camille Jenatzy, René de Knyff and Joe Tracy. Aviators such as Blériot, Bréguet, Fournier, Tissandier, Farman, de Lambert Count, Capazza[4],[5] were also reported to have worn Ström garments. Examples of clothing made by Maison Ström are preserved in institution such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York[6],[7]and the Archives of Paris. The fashion house received several distinctions, including medals at the Exposition universelle in Paris (1900), at early international automobile fairs held between 1901 and 1904, and at the Saint Louis Universal Exhibition[8] in 1904.

Ström invoice, 1905

Sportswear era

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1905 - La Vie Au Grand Air - gilet de sauvetage
Gilet de sauvetage, Ström

In 1893, Gustave Adolphe Ström and Charles Alfred Ström, the sons of Olé Olsen Ström, joined the family business[9]. They expanded the firm's focus to include garments tailored for the elite sporting activities of the time, such as cycling, sailing, motoring, and aviation-fields that were rapidly developing at the turn of the 20th century. The Ström brothers held patents for a number of innovations in garment design, such as the Chauffeur’s umbrella (parapluie du chauffeur), a convertible blanket- trouser (couverture-pantalon), a complete outfit for motorcyclists, a lifejacket and a hygienic vest[10]. Ström served as an official clothing supplier to several prominent organizations, including the Automobile Club of France and its international affiliates[11], the Paris Yacht Club and the Aéro-club of France.

The company also provided specialized clothing for various scientific and exploratory expeditions. Notably, it supplied garments for the French Antarctic expedition lead by Jean-Baptiste Charcot[12], as well as for journalist Gaston Stiegler's 63-day journey around the world [13], undertaken as a real-life challenge ispired by Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 days”.

Family

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Gustave Ström was married to Alfred Velghe's sister, a Franco-Belgian sportsman Alfred Velghe who competed under the pseudonym "Levegh". Velghe gained recognition for his victories in the 1899 Bordeaux-Biarritz race and the "Large Car" event at the 1900 Olympic Games, held in Paris.

Notes and references

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  1. ^ "Journal La Presse - La Vie Sportive". www.retronews.fr (in French). 1903.
  2. ^ "La Presse – La Vie Sportive". www.retronews.fr (in French). 1903. p. 4.
  3. ^ De Saunier Baudry, Dollfus Charles, De Geoffroy E (1936). Histoire de Locomotion Terrestre, Tome II : La locomotion naturelle, l'attelage, la voiture, le cyclisme, la locomotion mécanique, l'automobile (in French). L'Illustration.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Henri Desgrange (1903). "L'Auto-vélo : automobilisme, cyclisme, athlétisme, yachting, aérostation, escrime, hippisme". Gallica.BNF (in French).
  5. ^ "Journal Gil Blas". Retronews.fr (in French). 1907. p. 3-4.
  6. ^ "Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hat, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. George B. Wells, 1957". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1975–1976.
  7. ^ "Waistcoat, Gift of Jessie Leonard Hill, Charles R. Leonard Jr., and Laura Leonard Ault, 1978". The Metropolitan Museum of Art (in French). 1978.
  8. ^ J. BENTAYOU (1900). Le Tailleur-coupeur de Paris : revue d'enseignement professionnel. N°57 (in French). Paris: BNF Gallica.
  9. ^ "Création de G. et A. Ström". Le Radical (in French): 4. 1893.
  10. ^ "Le parapluie du chauffeur, du soldat, du marin, du pêcheur, de toutes les manifestations sportives". Le Souvenir programme : Journal illustré des fêtes patriotiques (in French). 1904.
  11. ^ "Course Paris-Madrid". L'Auto-vélo (in French). 1903.
  12. ^ Charley (1903). "Au pays des fourrures". Le Monde Sportif (in French): 7.
  13. ^ CH. Jarrost (1902). "De Paris à Saint-Pétersbourg en automobile". Le Français (in French).

Category:Companies based in Paris Category:Sewing