Courrèges is a French fashion house founded in 1961 by André Courrèges and his wife, Coqueline. Courrèges used bold colours, clean lines, and innovative materials such as vinyl and metal. The brand quickly gained international recognition for its futuristic, modern designs that challenged traditional fashion norms.
After the death of André Courrèges in 2016, the brand lost its direction and struggled to maintain relevance in the fast-paced fashion industry. However, in 2018, the brand found new life with the appointment of Nicolas di Felice as Artistic Director.
Nicolas di Felice, who previously worked at Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton, brought a fresh perspective to Courrèges while staying true to the brand’s DNA. He introduced a new logo, revamped the brand’s visual identity, and created collections that paid homage to the brand’s iconic designs while also pushing boundaries and experimenting with new materials and silhouettes.
Under Nicolas di Felice’s leadership, Courrèges has become a brand that embraces sustainability, using eco-friendly materials and production methods. The brand has expanded beyond its iconic mini dresses and introduced new categories such as footwear and accessories. Courrèges has once again become a sought-after brand among fashion enthusiasts while remaining true to its innovative and futuristic roots.
Courrèges, a new momentum that propels the fashion brand towards the future
The Courrèges style is characterized by its modern, futuristic aesthetic that emerged during the 1960s. André Courrèges, the founder of the fashion house, was known for challenging the traditional norms of fashion and creating designs ahead of their time.
The Courrèges style is typically characterized by its bold colours, clean lines, and geometric shapes. Courrèges designs often feature short hemlines, A-line silhouettes, and boxy shapes, giving them a youthful and playful vibe. The brand also uses innovative materials such as vinyl, metal, and plastic.
In addition to its futuristic aesthetic, the Courrèges style is known for its simplicity and minimalism. The brand often employs a monochromatic colour palette and eschews excess ornamentation or embellishment, allowing the design and materials to speak for themselves. Overall, the Courrèges style is a unique blend of modernity, innovation, and simplicity and has had a lasting impact on fashion, inspiring designers and enthusiasts for over five decades.
In 2015, there was a new energy under the determination of Arnaud Vaillant and Sebastien Meyer, the founders of Coperni. Then in 2018, Courrèges joined Artémis (the investment fund of the Pinault family). A new team is put in place with Christina Ahlers (ex-CEO of Acne) and Yolanda Zobel (ex-Artistic Director of Jil Sander, Chloé, Acne and Armani). This team will be kept in place until 2020, when arrives CEO Adrien Da Maia and Nicolas Di Félice as Artistic Director. The first fashion show of Nicolas Di Felice takes place in March 2021. Then a big success in October for the Spring-Summer collection 2023. This week, Nicolas Di Felice presented his vision for Fall-Winter 2023-2024.
What can we say about this new team behind Courrèges? There is undoubtedly a new momentum for the fashion house, driven by Nicolas and an entire team by his side. This is a genuinely creative project for Courrèges, a redefinition of the Courrèges identity that is based on re-edition models, iconic pieces, and the development of a more creative offering composed of visually important pieces that appear simple but require a lot of attention to detail, which is not so simple in reality! The aim is to target a younger audience and gradually integrate CSR data into the creation process. Nicolas is also firmly committed to creating a coherent and global image, which involves not only clothing but also the scenography of fashion shows, the music he composed himself, and the architecture of the boutiques.
Nicolas di Felice: probably one of the most talented fashion designers of his generation.
Nicolas di Felice is a French fashion designer appointed the Artistic Director of Courrèges in 2020. He was born and raised in Nice, France, and studied fashion design at the prestigious Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. After graduating, di Felice worked at a number of renowned fashion houses, including Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga, and Christian Dior. He also worked as a freelance designer, creating collections for his eponymous label and collaborating with other brands such as A.P.C.
Before joining Courrèges, Nicolas di Felice was the Head Designer of Womenswear at Balenciaga, working alongside Demna Gvasalia. During his time there, he was instrumental in developing the brand’s innovative designs and was praised for his ability to balance creativity with commercial viability.
Nicolas Di Felice’s appointment as Artistic Director of Courrèges marks a new chapter for the brand and a return to its innovative, forward-thinking roots. He has been tasked with redefining the brand’s identity and bringing a fresh perspective to its designs while staying true to the house’s heritage and legacy.
The Courrèges Fall-Winter 2023-24: Relevancy and avant-gardism
As a witness of our century, the new collection refers to the 2000s and nods to the symptomatic elements of our era, hands and eyes captured by smartphones, all connected but each in its bubble. The new collection follows the previous one and makes room for new materials and cuts, a bit more tailored. But it also gives a lot of attention to a whole range of accessories.
The autumn/winter 2023–24 collection by Nicolas Di Felice explores how modern humanity interacts with technology encroaching on residential areas. After all, André Courrèges founded his brand’s aesthetic by creating futuristic clothing, influencing his era’s obsession with a hyper-technological near future. The first models to parade, dressed in cocoon coats, mini-skirts, and leather pants, had their eyes glued to their smartphones as they walked. If the metallic disc-shaped invitation gave away the parade’s theme, it appeared again on the chests of chic backless tunic dresses and shimmering sheath dresses with sequins. At the finale, these discs create light cones that emit models in the audience’s direction by reflecting the stage’s light.
Courrèges took back its position in the fashion landscape as shapers of the future and a clear window on humanity’s evolution. I would underline the precision of cuts and lines that expresses an interesting anatomic exercise on the body.
José Amorim
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