Courrèges, reliving the swinging 60's.
Courrèges has been injecting a touch of liberty into the world of fashion ever since the 1960's. Straight lines with an avant garde tendency, cuts with no pleats or darts, topstitching and rounded pockets are the highlights of the French fashion house's models, that are recognisable in an instant. From ready-to-wear to accessories, bags and shoes, Courrèges also has fun playing around with different colours and materials.
Futuristic fashion, short and geometrical.
As soon as the fashion house was founded in 1961, André Courrèges positioned himself as a trailblazer. At the time, he was making the case for wearing trousers while encouraging the wearing of miniskirts, but also launched "The Moon Girl", a collection with futuristic overtones that would forever mark the history of fashion. The label shortened lengths, had fun with geometrical forms, white and colourful contrasts. Six years later, fighting back against the threat of fakes, Courrèges decided to reinvent itself and celebrated its re-opening with three lines - Couture Future for ready-to-wear, Prototype for haute couture and Hyperbole for sportswear. Just afterwards, the brand was responsible for the confection of official clothing for the Munich Olympic Games, mixing nylon and vinyl lined with terry toweling. In 1970, Courrèges already boasted 180 points of sale and launched a perfume, which would be followed by its first menswear collection.
Courrèges is also accessories galore. Particularly sought after, Courrèges bags with their geometrical lines are also available as nylon tote bags. As for the shoes, how can we forget the flat boots and the retro-futuristic ankle boots with square heels, bearing the founder's monogram. Lastly, for its glasses, the brand went for elegant rounded mountings with a retro feel.
Courrèges, the revival.
Since it was founded, the company has been the subject of several transfers. In the 1990's, the Courrèges family took back control, before finally selling their enterprise to two French publicists in 2011. They then put the Coperni duo at the head of the company: Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant assisted by Lolita Jacob. They are all set on keeping up the brand's identity, updating the vinyl jackets, the trapezium mini dresses and flat white boots. Today, Courrèges is still associated with fashion, design and contemporary art. By the time he died in 2016, André Courrèges had dressed the biggest stars, from Romy Schneider to Françoise Hardy.
Whether in the field of ready-to-wear or fashion accessories, the DNA flowing through Courrèges is unique, somewhere between 60's reminiscence and resolutely modern lines. Amongst the many legendary pieces of the label, we can mention the mischievous and feminine trapezium dress, which will never go out of fashion, the flat white boots that wouldn't be out of place in Swinging London and the leather mini backpack, nestling discreetly in the small of the back.