The museum
The Soieries Brochier Museum is the perfect starting point for a Lyon visit combining heritage and history.
Brochier Soieries,
130 years of Silk, Gold an d Silver
New exhibition from 1 October 2026
Gold has always captured the imagination. A symbol of light and prestige, it has illuminated the most precious fabrics for centuries. In Lyon, the weaving of gold and silver fabrics is one of the historic specialities of the city’s silk industry, an exceptional savoir-faire of which Brochier Soieries is today one of the heirs.
In the heart of the Grand Hôtel-Dieu, the Musée Soieries Brochier presents Brochier Soieries: 130 Years of Silk, Gold and Silver, an exhibition inviting visitors to discover the history of this Lyon silk house through its creations for some of the greatest names in fashion, design and art.
Weaving and Printing Gold and Silver Threads
Behind every textile creation lies an often unseen process: the creation of the material itself. Since its beginnings, Brochier Soieries has designed, developed and produced fabrics that bring designers’ visions to life. From its earliest silk fabrics to gold and silver textiles, and on to today’s technical textiles, the exhibition reveals the craftsmanship, research and experimentation behind the house’s creations.
The exhibition also presents fabrics developed this year for designer Rick Owens, one of the leading figures in contemporary fashion. They testify to the continuing vitality of the dialogue between the house’s savoir-faire and international contemporary design.
Gold and Fashion Designers…
The exhibition also brings together creations by Valentino, Gianfranco Ferré, Dior*, Geoffrey Beene, Vicky Tiel, Arnold Scaasi, James Galanos and Yves Saint Laurent**. From Hollywood glamour and Italian flamboyance to the Paris runways, Brochier fabrics have accompanied some of the greatest names in international couture.
…and Artists
Textiles also provide a meeting ground for artists: Brochier Soieries places its expertise at the service of their imagination, translating their creations into the language of textiles.
Alongside works by Miró and Calder is a monumental creation by artist Thomas Henriot, woven by Brochier Soieries in gold threads on a Jacquard loom equipped with 18,230 hooks. Measuring two by three metres, this spectacular piece, exhibited in New Delhi in 2026, illustrates the encounter between centuries-old textile craftsmanship and contemporary artistic creation.
*Bottom right: Christian Dior sheath-bustier dress, Brochier Soieries gold lamé – circa 1983
**Top left: Yves Saint Laurent evening dress, Brochier Soieries gold lamé, Autumn/Winter 1991 Collection
From Precious Metals to Innovation
The metals that lend precious fabrics their distinctive lustre are also paving the way for new applications in innovation, at the heart of Brochier Technologies’ identity. The company develops textiles with antimicrobial and air-purifying properties, designed to help protect people and improve air quality.
From haute couture and artistic creation to today’s technical textiles, the same approach runs through 130 years of history: exploring the possibilities of materials to give form to creative visions and meet the needs of each era.
Oeuvre « aux fils d’or » de Thomas Henriot, Basubati Palace, Calcutta 2026
Welcome to the Musée Soieries Brochier
Practical information
The museum is open every day from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 7pm, and on Sunday from 10am to 1pm and 2pm to 6pm. Closed on december 25th, january 1st and 7, may 1st.EXCEPTIONAL CLOSURE ON SEPTEMBER 29th and 30th
Adults €8 / 14-25 years €6 / Free for under-14s
The Lyon City Card can be used to visit the museum
Contact details
Musée Soieries Brochier
Grand Hôtel-Dieu
18 quai Jules Courmont - Lyon 2ème
Map
Public transportation: Metro line A and Line D | Bellecour station Bus 27, A32, A71 | Pont Guillotière RD station Bus C9, C12, C20, C20E, 40, 51 | Bellecour Le Viste station Plan a journey
BOOK YOUR GUIDED TOUR
Brochier Soieries Museum
Location : 18 quai Jules Courmont Lyon 2
Find out more about our the museum guided tour
We invite you to explore 130 years in the history of a prominent Lyon family that set out in the silk industry in 1890: 4 generations, 9 Brochiers and hundreds of thousands of metres of silk, woven and printed for the greatest names in haute couture and the arts have been involved over a period of more than a hundred years.
Come and admire dresses by Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent and Nicolas Fafiotte, created with fabrics from the Brochier silk house.
And discover textile designs by such 20th century masters as Miró, Calder and Cocteau that reflect the Brochier family’s close involvement with artists.
Discover also how a thirst for innovation made it possible to adapt the Jacquard loom for the production of technical fabrics for Concord nose cones, rainforest canopy rafts, and the Venus balloon probes. And learn how silk thread is now woven with optical fibres to produce the fabrics of the future.
The Musée Soieries Brochier is the ideal starting point for a visit to Lyon that combines heritage with history. The museum shop is open to the public and offers a wide range of hand-painted, 100% silk and velvet squares made in Lyon in the silk weaving mills and printing workshops of Brochier Soieries.
The museum is part of our Silk Trail, which offers visitors the opportunity to visit our silk printing workshop on the Place des Terreaux and then to inspect a mini silkworm farm on the Rue du Boeuf in the Mediaeval and Renaissance quarter of the town (St Jean).
Find out more about the workshop guided tour
Our silk printing workshop is the last workshop in France still in operation to perpetuate by hand this traditional process, invented in Lyon in 1920 and long used by manufacturers to produce prints on fabric. With 3,000 frames, some dating back to 1950, we produce a wide variety of graphics, combining tradition and modernity.
During your visit, our printers will share the secrets of Lyon’s expertise, so highly prized by the great couturiers of the 20th century.
You’ll discover the techniques of frame printing “à la lyonnaise” and block printing: qualities of silk fabrics, installation of silk rolls on long printing tables, cooking of colors, smoothness of colored pastes, printing, drying and fixing. Upstairs, you’ll be invited to a demonstration of hand-painting on velvet panne, a renowned specialty of Lyon!
TAKE PART IN A WORKSHOP
Introduction to flat-frame printing à la lyonnaise
Duration of the introductory lesson: 3h
Subject to reservation
2 to 5 people
250 € / per person
Venue : 33 rue romarin Lyon 1
Find out more about the Flat-frame printing à la lyonnaise introductory lesson
Our silk-printing workshop is the last workshop in France in operation to perpetuate by hand this traditional process invented in Lyon in 1920 and long used by Lyonnais manufactures for printing on fabric. With 3,000 frames, some of which date back to 1950, we can produce a wide variety of designs, combining tradition and modernity.
The introduction to flat-frame printing offered by our printers is a unique and creative experience.
Over the course of two hours, you’ll discover frame printing techniques “à la lyonnaise” and create your own personalized silk square. Seated in front of the long printing tables on which the silk rolls are stretched, our printers will share the secrets of a Lyonnais know-how so highly prized by the great couturiers of the 20th century.
Initiation is adapted to your level, whether you’re a beginner or experienced.
Once the session is over, our team will complete the process by fixing your colors, washing and manufacturing your square. As soon as the process is complete, we’ll send the square to you by post anywhere in the world. A unique souvenir 100% lyonnais, 100% you!
Introduction to painting on silk
Duration of the introductory lesson: 2h
Subject to reservation
140 € / per person
Venue : 33 rue romarin Lyon 1
Find out more about the Painting on silk introductory lesson
Our designer’s introduction to silk painting is a unique creative experience.
Over the course of two hours, you will discover silk painting techniques and create your own personalised silk square.
Anna will guide you through the creative process, providing you with inspiring textile designs, tools and materials. Seated in front of the long hand-painting tables on which the silk rolls are stretched, you’ll spend 2 hours discovering the secrets of a Lyonnais skill that was highly prized by the great couturiers of the 20th century.
This introductory course is available for groups of two or more, and can be adapted to your level, whether you are a beginner or an experienced painter. It’s the ideal opportunity to share a timeless moment with friends or family (children aged 8 and over).
Once the session is over, our team will complete the process by fixing your colors, washing and manufacturing your square. As soon as the process is complete, we’ll send the square to you by post anywhere in the world. A unique souvenir 100% lyonnais, 100% you!