(Paris) The South African designer Drew Henry, who has worked at Céline and Burberry, has been appointed as the new artistic director of Courrèges, the fashion house controlled by Artemis, the Pinault family holding company.
The 38-year-old creator, who succeeds Belgian Nicolas Di Felice, will present his first collection during Paris Fashion Week in September, Courrèges announced in a press release.
A graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, Drew Henry has previously worked at Céline under the artistic direction of Phoebe Philo, whom he later accompanied to launch his own brand. He has also worked at JW Anderson and most recently at Burberry under Daniel Lee.
“Drew Henry possesses a certain talent and a strong creative vision. His background and understanding of contemporary fashion issues are major assets to accompany Courrèges in the next phase of development,” praised Artemis president François-Henri Pinault.
Last week, Nicolas Di Felice announced his departure after five years as artistic director of Courrèges, during which he gave a fresh update to the iconic French brand from the 1970s.
“I have always been focused on designing pieces that are modern, functional, and straightforward,” said Drew Henry in Courrèges’ statement, expressing his desire to “honour the heritage” of the brand’s founder André Courrèges, “while imprinting (his) creative approach.”
The house was founded in 1961 by André Courrèges and his wife, Jacqueline, known as Coqueline.
An engineer from the prestigious École nationale des ponts et chaussées who became a nonconformist stylist, André Courrèges, who passed away in January 2016, symbolized the sartorial revolution of the 1960s.
He popularized the mini-skirt and made a mark on fashion with his futuristic style (“Space Age”), the use of vinyl, and the predominance of white, his signature color.
