Erich Biehle - Fashion and Design

Erich Biehle, born in Lucerne in 1941, passed away in Zurich in 2024. He began his career at the Abraham silk company, where he created designs for the most influential Parisian couturiers of the post-war era.

He designed fabrics for Yves Saint Laurent, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and Hubert de Givenchy, for whom he also served as creative director in the 1980s. His work focuses on each designer's current collections. The patterns he creates merge form, color, and material to match the current theme of each collection. Biehle's eye for the zeitgeist and his sense of everyday poetry shine brilliantly in his work.

Givenchy Spring Summer 1992, Couture

Deep colors and movement, produced for Yves Saint Laurent's Spring-Summer 1990 collection and designed by Erich Biehle.

Hubert de Givenchy, Haute Couture, Winter 1985.

 

Erich Biehle and Yves Saint Laurent worked closely together for decades, and with the collection known as "Ballets Russes", they restored haute couture's ability to make people dream.

In 1979, Vogue asked Yves Saint Laurent what his fondest memory was from thirty years in the business. He replied: "The collection inspired by Russia." It may not have been the most successful, but it was wonderfully received at a time when the world was condemning opulence. And it was opulent.

 

Erich Biehle for Yves Saint Laurent.

In the February 5, 1973 issue of Elle magazine, Yves Saint Laurent himself describes his Spring/Summer 1973 couture collection. Wonderful evening ensembles: Erich Biehle's Abraham silk jacket and blouse; Lesage's spectacular embroidered cardigan imitating knitwear. Photo by Tony Kent, hairstyles by Alexandre. 

 

"I'm thirsty for colors.⁠ There are colors that are already a luxury, a celebration. This is the case with this baroque silk with large flowers. And a jacket in this style, to wear with colored gabardine pants, is a bit of a miracle solution for the evening. The red cardigan is the sophisticated solution: it looks like an Irish knit — ribs and cables — but it's made of thousands of beads, hand-embroidered on a muslin background. If a woman can afford one, she should keep it as a treasure: in a few years, no one in the world will be able to work like this."⁠
⁠
(Abraham silks, Carlotta gabardines, Lesage embroideries).⁠

Pierre Cardin, Haute Couture, Winter 1969.

 

Yves Saint Laurent, "Les Africaines" collection, Summer 1967.

Hubert de Givenchy

Yves Saint Laurent

Inspired by his teacher Johannes Itten, who was also a central figure of the Bauhaus movement, Erich Biehle began incorporating geometric figures into his designs. He often blended geometric patterns with floral motifs and used this style in collections for other designers, but for YSL, these motifs became a signature.

Michael Kors

Christian Dior

Lanvin 

Pierre Cardin

 

Interior

Interior fabric and wallpaper design for Givenchy. Interior design used in the movie "Desperately Seeking Susan" starring Madonna.

Porcelain collection for Givenchy, manufactured in Japan by Yamaka.