Silk weaving was officially established in Lyon under the initiative of François I (after Louis XI's unsuccessful attempt). The first workshops producing “gold, silver and silk fabrics” borrowed techniques from the Italians, who had been very active in Lyon since the Renaissance. However, the Fabrique Lyonnaise really established itself in 1536 (through the influence of Turquet and Naris).
The improvements brought by Dangon in 1610 with the draw loom, in addition to the talents of the designers (in chronological order: Revel, Pillement, and Philippe de Lassalle), made Lyon the capital of silk in the XVIIIth century. After the disaster of the French Revolution in 1789, the silk industry rapidly revived itself, thanks to a boost given by Napoléon, who wished to decorate his palaces and clothe his court. This new growth was also largely due to the invention of the Jacquard mechanism, as well as the development of trade on the European Continent.