Emilie Floege – The Woman Freeing Fashion Long before Chanel
When we think about the liberation of women of the corset, most people think about Coco Chanel, maybe Paul Poiret. But did you know that there was actually a woman in Austria who actively promoted the freedom of movement long before them? Her name was Emilie Floege and she often stands in the shadow of her lifelong partner, the famous painter Gustav Klimt. Klimt was also famous for his many lovers, but there was a special connection between him and Emilie Floege. Even though she was 12 years younger, their relationship lasted a lifetime. She was not only his muse, but also his patron and, most importantly, his business partner. But more importantly, Emilie was a trailblazer in her own right who, with her Reformkleid, the “reform dress”, liberated fashion long before Chanel and Poiret.
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Modest Beginnings & Relationship to Klimt
Emilie was born in 1874 and despite her modest background, she somehow managed to network herself into Vienna’s fin de siècle elite. She was friends with artists such as Koloman Moser, Josef Hoffmann or Gustav Klimt. Her sister ended up marrying Gustav’s brother and the families spent many holidays together in the Salzkammergut (we could call it the Lake District of Austria, a place where the elites of the monarchy, and also the Emperor himself, spent their summers). The relationship with Klimt started long before the founding of Emilie’s own business. It is documented by many letters found in Gustav Klimt’s estate. Unfortunately, most of the documents on Emilie’s side have been lost – most likely due to a fire in her last apartment. Some assume that she also destroyed a lot of documents herself.[1]
Founding of Schwestern Floege
At the beginning of the 20th century, the “seed capital” to start a business usually came from inheritance, or marriage; for the Floege sisters neither was available. Their father was a working-class artisan and died early in 1897. He may have left some money to take care of his widow and the children but it is unclear if that amount was big enough to fund a business. Irrespective of the source of funds, Emilie and her sisters founded their own company in 1904. “Schwestern Floege”, “Floege sisters”, soon dressed the women of Vienna’s elite. Their headquarters were in the Casa Piccola in the Mariahilferstraße; the building still exists today. Its name comes from a café on the ground floor which was a popular meeting point for the who-is-who. As it was run by Dominik Casapiccola, the building was named after him. Today, there is a shoe store and we can only imagine what the café looked like. The salon of the Floege sisters was designed by none other than their friends Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser. This was a statement – Hoffmann and Moser, just like Klimt, were part of the Vienna Secession, a progressive artist association, and they were also part of the Wiener Werkstaette (which had just been founded in 1903). Until today, the latter is also known for design, textiles and even jewellery. Emilie herself wore Wiener Werkstaette designs and it seems a logical consequence that she had the two up-and-coming-artists design her salon.[2]
The salon was a true family business: Emilie was the creative in charge of the designs, her sister Helene took care of the clients and her daughter Helene took over the bookkeeping. Before the start of the First World War, the Floege sisters employed up to 80 seamstresses, three cutters and also mannequins. Some assume that they found clients because of the relationship to Gustav Klimt, but it definitely was also the other way around: Emilie in her role as an opinion leader sent her clients over to Klimt and further artist friends.[3]
The Reform Dress
Emilie’s most famous design is the so-called Reformkleid, the “reform dress”. Its loose silhouette is similar to caftans and did not require any shapewear such as a corset. At the time, women’s clothing was complicated involving many items which often were difficult to put on. Hence, many well-to-do ladies had staff to help them get dressed. Furthermore, it was difficult to move in these clothes, the corsets barely let women breathe. The reform dress was different – it was easy to put on and wear and allowed full freedom of movement.
Emilie was very fashion-forward, she frequently went to Paris to not only purchase textiles but also to inform herself about the most recent fashion trends. Gustav Klimt encouraged her to travel to Paris; in a letter he mentioned that in Paris she would be able to wear whatever she liked. Later on, when Paul Poiret promoted his Empire silhouette, Emilie was also spotted in these dresses and would eventually swap the reform dress for this silhouette. There are reports about Emilie meeting the French designer not only at his atelier in Paris but also at her friend Berta Zuckerkandl’s salon in Vienna.[4]
Innovative Marketing with a Flip Side
You would think that these fashion-forward designs were difficult to sell, but they spoke for themselves (and the marketing and networking were successful): Among the famous clientele was Clarice de Rothschild. But Emilie Floege’s marketing strategy was more than just wearing the designs herself. For her campaigns, Emilie would also turn to Klimt. He had the idea of shooting the outfits outside in nature – a total contradiction to the customary studio photo shoots. Emilie and Gustav chose their beloved Salzkammergut and she frequently modelled the clothes herself. Emilie then sent these pictures to major newspapers or magazines, such as “Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration“. It was clever marketing but also came with a drawback. The pictures often featured Klimt’s initials and for decades, Floege’s designs were wrongly attributed to Gustav Klimt, even though he himself never seems to have made a claim. Today we know that they were Emilie’s designs.[5]
Without a doubt, Emilie and her designs stood out. She did not only design clothes for others, she herself practically lived in her designs. The sisters wore them to many events, not only because they liked them but also because they knew about the exposure – many potential clients would see them. They became their own brand ambassadors, long before influencer marketing existed. And there is one other interesting fact about the reform dress: It closely resembles the caftans Gustav Klimt wore as well.
What Happened to Emilie Floege’s Business?
The economic crisis in the 1920s affected almost everyone, also the luxury industry in which the salon operated. From 1938 onwards, the Jewish clientele, a major driver of the Floege-business disappeared almost completely. Helene passed away in 1936, and Emilie, at the age of 61, decided to retire and deregister the business in 1938.[6]
Emilie Floege’s story is particularly interesting when put in the context of her time: Long before women even gained the right to vote, she managed to establish herself independent of a husband, father or brother. Furthermore, she became successful entrepreneur and a designer who had a huge impact on women’s clothing and the liberation from the corset even though her name almost vanished from the history books. Thanks to the relationship to Klimt, she did not, but today, we should remember her as a true trailblazer in her own right who deserves the same credit as a Coco Chanel or Paul Poiret.
Disclaimer
This article is based on the personal, views, experiences and research of the author, no fees were received by the organisations and people mentioned above. All information is alleged, as of the date of publishing/updating and for entertainment purposes only.
Footnotes
[1] Lauwerys p. 15, 22-33, Tretter & Weinhäupl 2016, p. 27-36.
[2] Lauwerys 2025, p. 127-134, Tretter & Weinhäupl 2016, p. 27-38.
[3] Tretter & Weinhäupl 2016, p. 36-40
[4] Greiner 2016, p. 192-193, Tretter & Weinhäupl 2016, p. 57-65.
[5] Greiner 2016, p. 198-200, Tretter & Weinhäupl 2016, p. 40-50.
[6] Tretter & Weinhäupl 2016, p. 40-41.
Sources
Margret Greiner, Auf Freiheit zugeschnitten. Emilie Flöge. Modeschöpferin und Gefährtin Gustav Klimts, 2nd edition, Munich 2016.
Kirs Lauwerys, Vom Licht in die Dunkelheit. Drei Frauen in Wien 1900-1938. Emilie Flöge, Milena Jesenská und Veza Canetti, Salzburg 2025.
Sandra Tretter, Peter Weinhäupl (ed.), Gustav Klimt. Emilie Flöge. Reforming Fashion. Inspiring Art, Vienna 2016.
Source Title Image
Gustav Klimt and Emilie Flöge, c. 1900-1905; Source: Template:Dubbele afbeelding, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (unkown author). Heinrich Böhler, Emilie Flöge, 1909, photogravure; Source: Heinrich Böhler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons/Agnes Husslein-Arco, Alfred Weidinger, editors (2012) Gustav Klimt & Emilie Flöge. Fotografien, Prestel Verlag. Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Emilie Louise Flöge, 1902, oil on canvas, 181×84 cm, Wien Museum, Vienna; Source: Gustav Klimt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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