Paule Marrot
Marrot was a Parisian textile designer and one of the first women, who was brave enough to introduce a new colour palette for the automotive industry. After she had written a letter to the chairman of Renault, Pierre Lefaucheux, demonstrating that the streets of Paris were dreary due to the colours of the cars, Lefaucheux created a space for her in the Dauphine design team in 1953. Marrot was given a position that was unique at the time in the car industry. She was in charge of the co-ordinating body colours and interior trim.
Paule Marrot had always had a passion for design and colour. She was seen as a bohemian character in the automotive industry.
She was born in 1902 in Bordeaux to musician parents and move to Paris at the age of four. At the age of 14, she enrolled at l’Ecole Des Arts Decoratifs in Paris and then opted for an apprenticeship in engraving and printing when she was 17 years old. Marrot made a living by selling her textile designs and teaching but after working with leading fashion designer Paul Poiret, her success soared. However her longest collaboration - lasting 31 years was with Alsave textile mill, Steiner de Robeauville and Jean Schlumberger, its director.
During her time with Renault, Marrot selected lighter, uplifting colours for the Dauphine model. She made sure her fabrics and patterns were robust and the paintwork on the car kept its long-time lustre. The Dauphine was launched everywhere and marketed as an attractive, pretty car.
Marrot’s approach was copied widely across Europe and changed the automotive game and that’s why I believe she’s an inspiration.