Since the antiquity, men from high lineage, power and money have always wanted to be differentiated, distinguished and recognized from each other conspicuously showing their wealth. Such signs and code of richness were found and still are today in body adornments.
A kind of lace, the “Sprang”, was discovered during excavation in Nation in Egypt. It can be traced back to Rome and then disappeared before being mentioned again in Byzanthium, then in Cordoba in Spain. The “Sprang” reappears during the crusades in Saint Jacque of Compostelle. Then, it would not be mentioned for two or three centuries.
The finest and rarest textiles were, according to the period, woven or embroidered with linen, silk, gold or silver yarns, trimmed with passementries or fringes, trim or lined with fur, enriched with fine pearls and precious stones. Some very fine textiles were appreciated for their sheerness. Sheerness that was enhanced by diverse embroidery stitches.
Often made for utilitarian purposes (fishnet and cheesecloth), these textiles had been continuously alleged and embroidered. These textiles which involved various techniques and from which emerged the handmade lace are the net, the buratto, the macramé, the fils tiré, the fils écarté, and the point coupé.
There are four major families of lace. The needle lace, the bobbin lace, the machine lace made on the Leavers loom and also called “lace of Calais” since the nineteenth century. Finally, since twenty years, the Jacquard and Textronic lace, executed on computerized looms.In the region of Caudry, the production of a textile called “batiste” was developed during the XIV and XVIII century and immersed the city in a textile tradition and culture. As a result the city of Caudry was prepared to welcome lace and later embroidery industries.
It was around 1820 when the first netting loom was installed in Caudry, and would be followed by several others. The mechanization of lace resulted in its popularization. Women started to wear laces that in past were only seen on aristocrats and bourgeois. This phenomenon represented a real social evolution. The identification of oneself to a higher social class by adopting the Calais lace which perfectly imitated old lace and was even named after it. As a result, one could find among Calais laces, laces from Alençon, Malines, Valenciennes, Chantilly etc. Caudry lace makers carefully watched, during decades, their customers demand and most of the time they were ahead of fashion trends.
In 1910, Caudry lace received many awards from the Brussels Universal Exhibition and became worldly renown for its beauty. From 1911 to 1945, Caudry lace industry would undergo ups and downs, due to wars, economic crisis and changes in fashion.
The last world war left France destroyed, short of everything including raw materials necessary to manufacture lace. Innovations were needed. Staple fiber, rayon, nylon, lure and plastilam appeared, it was a success. American people, seduced, became our main customers. French fashion leading the world, new orders were constant until 1956.
The projectionist measures in some countries along with economic retaliatory measures led by political orientations heavily affected the production of French lace. Whatever its anecdote character, the suppression of mantillas for religious services affected the entire trade. The abandon of lace in fashion led to a major crisis from 1967 to 1976.
On the contrary to Calais which was producing for lingerie, most Caudry lace makers oriented their production toward Haute-couture and ready to wear. The lace of Calais is the result of a craft dedicated to a luxury product.
From 1976 to nowadays, important promotion campaigns were geared towards couturier, designers, stylists and industrials to develop the lace industry and to support researches in design and technology.
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