A production model ahead of its time
In fact, Joseph had already begun laying the groundwork for promoting ready-to-wear clothing before this Fashion Week.
For example, he would make special requests to designers at Fashion Week —asking them to avoid the currently common style with clearly defined bust, waist, and hip areas, and instead move towards a style with a smooth transition at the waist.
Because clothing that emphasizes the bust, waist, and hips, especially skirts, has very strict size requirements—two people of similar height and weight cannot swap clothes simply because of a slight difference in the distance between their bust and waist.
By changing to a style with a smooth transition, it's possible to make identical garments for them using standard sizes.
At the same time, France designers were looking for inspiration for this season's fashion and greatly appreciated this somewhat "retro" design style—which was somewhat similar to the long skirts of Rome —so they turned to designing fashions with smooth waist transitions.
Of course, this is also largely due to the fact that the design style was proposed by the Crown Prince. After all, Europe fashion looks to France, France fashion looks to Paris, and Paris fashion looks to the Royal House.
Afterwards, Joseph discussed with the Lyon Textile Industry Guild and initially formulated a garment size standard—divided into five sizes for men's and women's styles: very small, small, medium, large, and very large. He also published the specific requirements for each size for men's and women's styles.
After this Fashion Week concludes, Joseph will also request the Textile Industry Guild to further refine the sizing standards and promote them throughout France.
The next step is to find ways to expand garment production and continuously reduce costs.
When the cost of ready-made clothing drops to a level that ordinary people can afford, many people who care more about style and are not so tight on money will be willing to switch from making their own clothes to buying ready-made ones.
Joseph knew that this would be a difficult process, requiring him to coordinate with industrial policies, introduce new types of Textile machines, and power them with Steam Engine to make it possible.
It even requires addressing the issue of landed Nobility, abolishing the privileges of feudal lords, and liberating a large number of tenant farmers to provide industrial labor.
"It's tough..." Joseph sighed with a wry smile.
"Congratulations! My dear Mr. Walsh!"
On the east side of the Tuileries Palace Gardens, in front of the Villa that was one-third complete, the sales manager solemnly handed Walsh a set of keys and the property deed under the watchful eyes of more than a dozen tall and handsome salespeople.
"From this moment forward, you officially become the owner of the prestigious ' Royal Garden '! From now on, your biggest worry will probably be the many envious glances directed your way."
Joyful music immediately filled the air, and beautiful young women came forward to present flowers to Walsh. Then, the priest offered prayers for the new home...
In short, the event was full of ceremony, attracting many passersby to stop and watch.
Yes, Mr. Walsh ultimately couldn't resist the temptation and spent Pound Sterling 2,050 to buy a house in the Royal Garden.
The main reason for this was that he learned through his own channels that France would vigorously develop the garment industry, thereby significantly increasing the demand for wool Textile.
And he happened to be a Wool merchant. Buying a house in Paris and expanding his business in France nearby seemed like the perfect idea.
Of course, another reason is that the houses in the Royal Garden are priced higher every day!
The house he bought was worth 50,000 Livre, or Pound Sterling 2,000, just three days ago, and now it's worth Pound Sterling 2,050.
This made him extremely regretful for his hesitation in the previous days.
When he heard the salesperson say that the price would continue to rise in a few days, he couldn't resist any longer and immediately decided to buy a house!
Mrs. Walsh was overjoyed. From the moment she arrived in Paris, she fell completely in love with the city—it was clean, comfortable, and tidy, full of fashion, and had convenient Public Carriage.
Oh, and the extremely safe and secure environment!
The Police patrolling the streets of Paris were all imposing and dignified. They never extorted money from foreigners or merchants, and if they encountered anyone committing theft or robbery, they would immediately rush in and bring them to justice. In London, the United Kingdom Police would have long since disappeared, unless the victim was a Nobility of high status.
Of course, little did she know that just a few months earlier, the Police in Paris were exactly the same as their United Kingdom counterparts—a new phenomenon that had emerged after the Crown Prince's Police Reform.
Mrs. Walsh wrote a letter to her beloved son in London last night, asking him to bring his fiancée to Paris for a vacation. She said it would be something they could brag about for a long time when they returned to their social circles.
Frost Month 19, 1788.
Paris Fashion Week, which shook all of Europe, has finally come to a close. After this grand event, it left behind endless memories of revelry and the intoxicating luxury of the Tuileries Palace.
Subsequently, the Paris Fashion Art Exhibition officially opened.
This art exhibition is mainly for showcasing France designers—only by establishing their reputations can the world gain greater acceptance of Paris fashion.
During the five-day art exhibition, fashion designers from all over Europe will be invited to select the best designer of the year and present them with the "Golden Feather Award".
On the same day, another very important event occurred, but one that few people know about—
That is, the "France Royal Armory" completed all the preparatory work and officially began production.
On the southeast side of the Versailles Palace Square, outside the Sycamore Tree, there is a small courtyard, about 100 meters square, enclosed by a stone wall. Inside the courtyard is a crucible furnace used for Iron Smelting, as well as a dozen or so wooden sheds of varying sizes.
At that moment, Joseph was standing in front of the main gate of the courtyard with the stone tablet that read "Royal Armory," bowing his head in respect to the departing figure of Louis XVI.
Just now, he accompanied His King to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ordnance Factory. His father was probably too happy, because he actually gave a speech of five sentences in public, which was unprecedented for him, and he barely stumbled over his words.
Of course, this is, after all, a factory he invested in, mass-producing the weapons he developed, and even the main Craftsman were trained by him, so it's normal for him to be a little happy.
After seeing his father off, Joseph turned around and looked at the two core managers of the Ordnance Factory, ready to get down to business.
"Mr. Gaman, what is the current production capacity?"
An elderly man with a flat nose, large bags under his eyes, and unusually bright small eyes immediately bowed and said:
"Your Highness, we can currently produce three Percussion Cap Gun per day, but we will soon be able to increase that to four."
The Ordnance Factory currently only produces one type of weapon: the August 1788 Model Percussion Cap Gun.
Joseph frowned upon hearing this—making four guns a day, 120 a month, wouldn't even be enough to equip an Infantry regiment in a year...
He did indeed keep the scale of the Ordnance Factory relatively small—after his on-site investigation, he discovered that not only Versailles Palace, but even the entire Paris lacked the supporting industries for weapons production. For example, Iron Smelting, rough woodworking, screws, belts, and so on could not be supplied. Therefore, he decided to build only a "demonstration factory" near the Versailles Palace to train Craftsman and conduct small-scale production. A larger-scale Ordnance Factory was already under construction in Saint-Etienne and should be completed next month.
However, even if it's just a "demonstration plant," isn't this output a bit too low?
He led the two supervisors into the courtyard, turning his head to ask:
"Mr. Gaman, is it possible to increase production in a short period of time? For example... ten per day?"
This Louis XVI, who was also the current technical director of the Ordnance Factory, immediately shook his head and said:
"Your Highness, as you can see, His Majesty has barely rested in the past month, only managing to get four Craftsman to master the manufacturing process of the Percussion Cap Gun. Oh, and that includes me."
He participated in the development of the Percussion Cap Gun on the spot, so no training was required.
"Now the four of us also have to teach apprentices, and we're busy until late at night every day just to produce one Musket."
He didn't mention that the barrels for the Percussion Cap Gun were custom-made from rough blanks directly from Charleville; otherwise, they couldn't even finish one a day.
Joseph frowned again, somewhat surprised, and said:
"Why not involve the other Craftsman in the manufacturing process, with the four of you supervising and guiding them?"
It's worth noting that Louis XVI poached 16 skilled gunsmiths from other regions for his Ordnance Factory, along with as many as 50 mid- to low-level Craftsman. If all of these people were actively involved, the production capacity would not have been so dismal.
Gaman said with difficulty, "Your Highness, the craftsmanship of Percussion Cap Gun differs greatly from that of Flintlock Gun, especially in the barrel and bolt. One must master each step of the process and practice repeatedly to produce a qualified musket."
Joseph immediately noticed the logical problem in his statement. "So, apart from the chamber and bolt, it's pretty much the same as Flintlock Gun?"
"Yes, that's true."
"Then the four of you will be responsible for making the barrel and bolt. The rest of you can make the other parts, and then we'll assemble them. Wouldn't that greatly increase the speed?"
"Your Highness, that's probably unlikely." Before Gaman could say anything, the short, middle-aged man with brown curly hair beside him interjected, "Every Craftsman has very different technical habits and characteristics; only parts made by oneself can guarantee perfect assembly."
Gaman immediately nodded and added:
"Mr. Martinier is right. Even apprentices of Craftsman can hardly guarantee that they can make something exactly the same as their master."
Joseph sighed, realizing he'd forgotten that this was still the age of handicrafts; the concept of standardized parts production didn't even exist. It wasn't until the early 19th century that the idea of standardized parts emerged, and its practical application in production wouldn't begin for another 20 years...
As for assembly line production models that require standardized parts as a prerequisite technology, that's out of the question.
He sighed and looked at the manager and technical supervisor in front of him:
"Then let's try to change this situation. There's a production method called Parts Standardization."
The two supervisors exchanged a glance, both looking puzzled. "Parts Standardization?"
"That's right," Joseph nodded. "Simply put, when the same firearms are produced by different Craftsman, the pre-defined component standards must be strictly followed."
"From shape, materials, and dimensions, everything must be within the tolerance range. Oh, I'll explain what tolerance is later."
"This ensures that parts, regardless of who manufactures them, can be freely interchanged."
"This, how is this possible?!" Gaman and Martinier exclaimed in unison.
Joseph and the two men entered the office, gestured for them to sit down, and said sternly:
"This is absolutely possible. Of course, some methods will be needed. First, we need to manufacture a batch of more precise measuring tools."
Gaman immediately replied, "You mean something like Screw Micrometer?"
Joseph nodded. "That's right. Then you should lead the best Craftsman to formulate the ' Production Process Standard,' ' Product Implementation Standard,' and ' Quality Inspection Standard ' for the Percussion Cap Gun. Even the placement of tools should ideally have a unified standard."
"Oh, I'll have someone write up the meaning of these standards in detail and give it to you later," Joseph continued. "Once the standards are finalized, we'll provide standardized training for the Craftsman."
"When making parts, everyone must use the same tools, the same measurement methods, and strictly follow all standard documents. It is strictly forbidden to change any step according to one's own wishes."
"The completed parts will be handed over to a person in charge of quality inspection for measurement. If the measurement exceeds the tolerance, the part will be scrapped."
"The parts produced in this way are almost identical in material and size. In the end, even if the parts are given to workers without technical skills, they can be assembled into a qualified Musket."
The two supervisors' eyes widened immediately— His Crown Prince's method, though seemingly outlandish, was actually quite feasible upon closer examination.
If production is carried out in this way, then only a small number of Craftsman familiar with all the processes need to formulate the standards, and other Craftsman only need to follow the standards step by step.
It is conceivable that this would greatly increase production speed, while making the training of Craftsman much simpler!
How did the Crown Prince come up with such a brilliant idea? He truly lives up to his reputation Child of Divine Grace!
Joseph then gave them a general explanation of concepts such as "tolerance" and "quality control," and concluded by saying:
"The Craftsman may not be so quick to accept the new production model. In the early stages of implementation, output may even decrease, but as long as they persevere, they will definitely be able to significantly improve production efficiency."
"During this time, I will work with you to develop all production standards and assist you in training your Craftsman."
Joseph suddenly thought that perhaps standardization should also be implemented in factories such as machine tool factories and Steam Engine factories, and even national-level product standards should be introduced.
However, this raises the issue of metric standardization.
It's important to know that currently, the units used for measuring length, weight, and other quantities vary widely across France. Even the same unit, the meter, can yield different results when measured by Craftsman in the South and north of France.
This is even more true in other Europe countries.
If a country wants to promote Industrialization, then standardized measurement standards are the bare minimum requirement.
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