Jean Patou, as importantly as Chanel but with far less recognition, advanced and promoted the knits and sweater dressing of sportswear style immediately after the First World War. Ironically, Patou had planned to show his first collection in 1914 but was interrupted by the war, in which he subsequently served. By 1919, he had presumably revised his silhouette to offer the first glimpses of a supple, leggy but dignified sportswear that would become his distinction.

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Jean Patou brand, created in 1914, “the most elegant man in Europe” as the American press called him. He was said to have revolutionized women's fashion. A true aesthete and pioneer, Jean Patou designed evening gowns that were as elegantly simple as they were chic, along with the first relaxed sportswear collections.
 
The 1929 crisis impacted the house, just as he was opening New York. Jean Patou created "Joy", the most expensive perfume in the world, to relaunch his brand. His death in 1936 from a stroke brought the adventure to an end.