From Paris suburbs to Chanel partner: Mossi Traore is on a mission to democratise couture

Founder of top-tier vocational school explains how he is transforming lives in underserved community where he grew up

Born in a deprived Parisian suburb, Mossi Traore is passionate about the school he established in the district where he grew up. Photo: Chanel

Mossi Traore’s path to fashion was far from typical. Born to Malian parents in Hautes-Noues, a deprived Parisian suburb, he defied the odds to become a designer and founder of a top-tier vocational school.

Working with the unskilled, underrepresented and underprivileged, including migrants, Traore’s school, Les Ateliers Alix, equips students with rare haute couture skills. Located in the district where he grew up, the school embodies his commitment to giving back.

“When you are from the suburbs, life teaches you a lot of good,” he says. “It teaches you how to share, be strong together, how to sing together.” Now, he’s helping others rise.

Speaking from Mumbai, his passion is palpable. Founded in 2015, Les Ateliers Alix lifts up Paris’s forgotten youth, training them in flou (soft dressmaking) and tailleur (tailoring) over three years. Initially, it was just small workshops, creating pieces for the Paris National Opera and private designers. By 2019, the full programme was launched.

In September last year, the school achieved its biggest milestone – a partnership with Chanel. The couture house, noticing many of its atelier hires came from Les Ateliers Alix, reached out. “Chanel called saying, ‘We heard a lot about you. People coming to work with us are very good. We want to know where they’re being trained,’” Traore recalls.

When Les Ateliers Alix students complete their studies, Chanel gets priority for hiring but the students are under no obligations to stay. Photo: Chanel

The deal provides financial stability and eases students’ financial burdens. Many juggle part-time jobs while studying. “The partnership is very positive because Chanel wants to help the school and students. Today, we are the only school in France offering this kind of haute couture programme.”

As a couture house, Chanel understands the school’s importance. “It knows the school is good for all of the couture houses and their different needs,” he says. “It understands the elite values we are teaching, and importantly, it’s not coming to take only what it needs.”

While Chanel gets priority for hiring, students aren’t obligated to stay. “I think Chanel has very good values and spirit.” Chanel has long invested in preserving couture craftsmanship, acquiring specialist ateliers – lace, buttons, feathers – to safeguard disappearing skills. Karl Lagerfeld initiated this move in response to the risk of losing generational knowledge. Today, these ateliers are united under Chanel’s 19M, a dedicated space in Paris’s 19th arrondissement.

Les Ateliers Alix focuses on similar skills, passing on knowledge even fashion graduates often lack. Cutting, sewing, moulding, sculpting and draping with precision are not museum relics, but the foundation of couture, where a simple jacket starts at €25,000. “All students start as beginners, even those with fashion degrees,” Traore says.

Mossi Troare named his school in honour of haute couture trailblazer Alix Gres. Photo: Chanel

“You don’t need experience, just motivation. We don’t need quantity; we need quality. That’s why we take only 12 students a year.” Beyond funding, Chanel donates archival fabrics, a priceless resource, as couture fabrics can cost hundreds of euros per metre. “If you want to study, you need the right fabrics,” he explains.

Traore’s passion drives every aspect of the school, from securing funding – an ongoing challenge that keeps him up at night – to its very name. Les Ateliers Alix honours Madame Alix Gres, one of France’s most revered designers. Traore discovered her work during his own studies in the early 2000s and was captivated.

“I asked my fashion teacher for the name of the most inspiring designer. She said Madame Gres. I didn’t know who she was, so I researched and studied her work for two to three hours daily. It was amazing.”

Students at Les Ateliers Alix come from Hautes-Noues, a deprived Parisian suburb and are trained in the increasingly rare crafts associated with haute couture. Photo: Chanel

Renowned for her pleating and drapery, Gres created ethereal, Grecian-inspired gowns that influenced designers such as Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto. “I discovered fashion the same year Yohji paid tribute to Madame Gres in his spring/summer 2005 collection.”

Her work inspired Traore to attend fashion school, work as a costume designer at the Paris Opera, and launch his eponymous label, Mossi, in 2017. However, running the school has forced him to put his brand on hold. “I had to sacrifice my own fashion brand to focus on the school and secure financial support for students,” he says.

The contrast between haute couture’s refinement and his own upbringing isn’t lost on Traore. His introduction to fashion came via stolen high-end clothes resold in his neighbourhood. Now, he passes on his love of fashion to students, helping them break cycles of deprivation and access the industry’s highest echelons.

“It’s a passion project. I’m not from a rich family, but if I can open a door that wasn’t open for me, I will – for the next generation, for immigrants, for people from the suburbs. You can be rich or poor, but if you have patience and motivation, I will do my best to open the door of fashion for you.”