Augusta Lundin
Encyclopedia
Augusta Lundin was a Swedish fashion designer. She is considered to be the first international Swedish fashion designer as well as the first well known fashion designer in Sweden.
Born to a tailor
in Kristianstad, she learned the profession as a child and was in the 1860s employed in a hat
shop and fashion shop in Stockholm
before she opened her own studio in 1867. She made study trips to Paris
once a year and was very successful. She introduced the French method of making every part of a dress separately to Sweden. In 1886, she designed a "reformed costume", a loose dress without corset
or bustle
, on commission of the reformed dress society, which desired a more healthy dress model for women.
Among her clientele were Selma Lagerlöf
, Josephine of Leuchtenberg
and Sophie of Nassau, as well as international clients. King Oscar II of Sweden
gave away her dresses as Christmas gifts every year to the lady-in-waiting
s at the royal court. In 1892, she was made official dressmaker of the royal court; at assignments for the court, she brought models to the royal palace to display the clothes.
Lundin was known as a good employer: she was an honorary member of the dressmaker's society (1880) and aware of the fact that seamstresses often damaged their backs and eyes at work, she instigated a 12-hour work shift and a two-week summer vacation (1890), something quite unique for employers of her time. She employed only women until 1910. At her death in 1919, she left the company to her siblings' children. In the 1920s, the company experienced difficulties because of the simplified fashion and the confection industry; it was closed in 1939.
Born to a tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
in Kristianstad, she learned the profession as a child and was in the 1860s employed in a hat
Hat
A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...
shop and fashion shop in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
before she opened her own studio in 1867. She made study trips to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
once a year and was very successful. She introduced the French method of making every part of a dress separately to Sweden. In 1886, she designed a "reformed costume", a loose dress without corset
Corset
A corset is a garment worn to hold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes...
or bustle
Bustle
A bustle is a type of framework used to expand the fullness or support the drapery of the back of a woman's dress, occurring predominantly in the mid-to-late 19th century. Bustles were worn under the skirt in the back, just below the waist, to keep the skirt from dragging. Heavy fabric tended to...
, on commission of the reformed dress society, which desired a more healthy dress model for women.
Among her clientele were Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was a Swedish author. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige ....
, Josephine of Leuchtenberg
Josephine of Leuchtenberg
Joséphine of Leuchtenberg was Queen consort of Sweden and Norway as the wife of King Oscar I...
and Sophie of Nassau, as well as international clients. King Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II , baptised Oscar Fredrik was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death and King of Norway from 1872 until 1905. The third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, he was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden through his mother.-Early life:At his birth in Stockholm, Oscar...
gave away her dresses as Christmas gifts every year to the lady-in-waiting
Lady-in-waiting
A lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
s at the royal court. In 1892, she was made official dressmaker of the royal court; at assignments for the court, she brought models to the royal palace to display the clothes.
Lundin was known as a good employer: she was an honorary member of the dressmaker's society (1880) and aware of the fact that seamstresses often damaged their backs and eyes at work, she instigated a 12-hour work shift and a two-week summer vacation (1890), something quite unique for employers of her time. She employed only women until 1910. At her death in 1919, she left the company to her siblings' children. In the 1920s, the company experienced difficulties because of the simplified fashion and the confection industry; it was closed in 1939.