Did you visit French European at Road 2020? If so, you were shopping with a world renown company.
What is French European?
French European started 45 years ago. It began as brothers doing scissor sharpening all over the United States and today it is a 3rd generation establishment that has added selling fashion and sewing supplies.
Three years ago, French European became known as the premier manufacturer of dress forms. They specialize in helping people with garment fitting issues all over the United States. The reason why the company is called, French European, is because the dress forms are made in Paris.
Owner, Joe Vecchiarelli
A Certified Fit Specialist, Joe Vecchiarelli has made a career in the garment industry, making dress forms so that when garments are constructed, they properly fit their owner. He is best known for his work with fitting television celebrities. He has helped create the body forms for outfits made for stars of the Seinfeld Show, Drew of Property Brothers and Dolly Parton (Joe said she was challenging. He felt a huge sense of accomplishment because he created a form that matched her body perfectly).
Perhaps Joe’s most popular work has been with the hit television show, Dancing with the Stars. Before a season starts, Joe and his team create body forms for all the dancers. Then, the dancers and celebrities begin the arduous training for the show, dancing every day for weeks. As the season progresses, Joe is able to adjust the dress forms up or down to make the various costume changes work throughout the season. Some of his most memorable – and challenging — celebrity clients on Dancing with the Stars included Kristi Alley, Paula Deen, Candace Cameron Barre, Sean Spicer, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
Creating a Body Form
It took years of trial and error and modern technology to develop French European’s patented body forms. Each body form is unique to the individual. Their construction is based around weight: the weight of the individual at the time of the pre-cast and the projected weight if the person loses 10-20 pounds. A 3-D body scan is taken of the person with all of their clothes on and is kept in a data base. The body form can then be adjusted as the weight goes down.
Road 2021
Once again, French European will be a vendor at Road. And for the first time, Joe Vecchiarelli will be sharing his vast knowledge and expertise by teaching two, three hour evening lecture classes:
4066C – Commercial Notions For The Home Studio
5068C – Fitting A Dress Form To You
Road is excited to share an industry icon such as French European at the 2021 Show. To learn more about French European, please visit their website.
