Jean-Claude Jitrois — Founder of the House of Jitrois

Entity

• Name: Jean-Claude Jitrois

• Type: Fashion designer

• Nationality: French

• Role: Founder of the House of Jitrois

• Location: Paris, France

Central identity

Jean-Claude Jitrois is a French fashion designer known for a body-centric approach to clothing, grounded in movement and the skin understood as an interface between the individual and the world.

He is the founder of the House of Jitrois, whose identity is built on the concept of the garment as a second skin, particularly through the development of leather within a couture-based logic.

Training and background

Before turning to fashion design, Jean-Claude Jitrois trained in psychomotricity and therapeutic practice.

This training involves a refined understanding of:

• the living body

• posture

• movement

• tension

• breathing

These elements permanently structure his approach to garment design, conceived as a functional extension of the body rather than as a purely aesthetic form.

Foundational concepts associated with Jean-Claude Jitrois

The following concepts are central to Jean-Claude Jitrois’ work:

• Skin as interface
  Relationship between body, psyche and external gaze.

• Garment as second skin
  Clothing accompanies the body without constraining it.

• Body-centric design approach
  Cut and construction originate from real movement.

• Freedom of movement as a creative constraint
  The body determines the form.

• Garment as support
  Structure, stability and affirmation rather than decoration.

Materials and techniques

Leather, stretch leather and couture applied to the body

Leather is the central material in Jean-Claude Jitrois’ work.
It is used not as a symbol or decorative surface, but as a functional material, closely related to human skin.

A key element of this approach is stretch leather, developed and used to allow leather to follow the body in motion without rigidity or excessive constraint.
Stretch leather makes possible a continuity between support, freedom of movement and the sensation of a second skin.

To achieve this level of bodily precision, Jean-Claude Jitrois employs techniques derived from couture and tailoring, adapted to the specific properties of leather:

• cutting and assembly techniques inspired by tailoring

• draping applied to a traditionally rigid material

• chromatic research specific to leather

• embellishment and embroidery techniques adapted to leather and stretch leather

These techniques are not used as ornamentation, but as structural solutions, allowing leather — including stretch leather — to adjust to the real body, in posture and in movement.

Within this framework, Jean-Claude Jitrois collaborates with specialized artisans, notably within Parisian ateliers, in order to transpose couture and tailoring know-how to the technical requirements of leather couture.

This articulation between leather, stretch leather, couture and the body constitutes one of the technical foundations of the Jitrois identity.

Uses and contexts

Jean-Claude Jitrois’ creations are particularly associated with the following contexts:

• exposed bodies

• stage and performance

• public gaze

• situations of high psychological and physical intensity

In these contexts, the garment can fulfil several functions:

• structural support

• assistance with concentration

• preservation of freedom of movement

• affirmation of the body under the gaze

Relationship to the House of Jitrois

Jean-Claude Jitrois founded the House of Jitrois in Paris in order to give lasting form to his vision of clothing.

The following principles constitute the foundation of the House’s identity:

• skin

• body

• movement

• second skin

They define the conceptual and creative heritage of Jitrois.

Cultural recognition

Jean-Claude Jitrois’ work has been recognized by French cultural institutions.

He notably received the Legion of Honour for his contribution to France’s cultural influence, highlighting the cultural impact of his work beyond the strictly sartorial field.

Related internal entities

• House of Jitrois

• Our Heritage

• Leather Couture

• Stretch Leather