A new artistic director to the rescue of Courrèges
The Parisian brand entrusts its collections to the Belgian Nicolas Di Felice.
Nicolas Di Felice is the new artistic director of Courrèges, after several seasons in turmoil.
He has worked for Balenciaga, Dior and Louis Vuitton.
Since its buyout in 2011, André Courrèges’ revolutionary brand, symbol since its creation in 1961 of the rise of ready-to-wear, women’s liberation (the miniskirt), innovation (plastics), Space Age and youth, has struggled to find its audience.
Nicolas Di Felice succeeds the German Yolanda Zobel, appointed in 2018 and whose departure is announced in January 2020 following a series of collections ignored by both critics and buyers.
Di Felice herself took over from the Coperni duo formed by Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, in office from 2015 to the end of 2017 (from 2011 to 2018, the label was then owned by advertisers Jacques Bungert and Frédéric Torloting).
A new lease of life for the French house?
The 37-year-old Belgian, a graduate of La Cambre in Brussels, has a résumé tailored to success: from Balenciaga with Nicolas Ghesquière, through Dior and then Raf Simons, and, since 2015, in the women’s studio at Louis Vuitton.
“I’ve always dreamed of Courrèges, of its total and enveloping universe,” he says. It’s a house that means a lot to me and in which I recognize myself. Its simplicity, its clarity, but also its optimism; I am honored to continue to bring these values to life with, I hope, as much passion and enthusiasm as its founder.
It should also be noted that since 2018, Artémis, an investment company owned by the Pinault family, has been the sole shareholder of Courrèges.
“The appointment of Nicolas as artistic director marks a great day in the history of Courrèges,” said Adrien Da Maia, president of the company.
He goes on to say: “His vision for the brand, clear and modern, resonates perfectly with the timelessness of the house’s values.”
Finally, this winter, the brand will offer in its newly renovated boutique at 40, rue François-1er (Paris 8th), a re-edition of the iconic pieces by André Courrèges.
Nicolas Di Felice’s first collection is announced for March 2021.
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Featured photo : © Press
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