18 March 2024 |
Nicolas Di Felice is set to design the next Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture collection!
After only three years at the helm of Courrèges, the artistic director is the next designer to be tapped by Gaultier to create a one-off collection for the house, following in the footsteps of Simone Rocha, Rabanne’s Julien Dossena, Haider Ackermann, Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, Diesel and Y/Project’s Glenn Martens and Sacai’s Chitose Abe.
“I find Nicolas to be bold and creative from the beginning of his career,” said Gaultier to WWD. “Choosing him aligns perfectly with the idea of seeing what a designer can bring to my style.”
Di Felice commented: “I am grateful to get the chance to work with this legendary couture atelier and I cannot wait to dig into the archives. Even if I work on some more exceptional pieces for my own show, I mostly try to focus on a certain practicality and wearability at Courrèges, so it’s quite exciting for me to let that go for a bit.”
A graduate of La Cambre fashion school in Brussels, Di Felice worked at Balenciaga under Nicolas Ghesquière after graduating for six years before joining Dior under Raf Simons for a short stint. The Belgian designer then reconnected with Ghesquière at Louis Vuitton in 2015, where he remained until 2020, when he became artistic director of Courrèges.
When asked how he might handle the task of directing the JPG ateliers, Di Felice said: “Jean Paul is the perfect mix of French couture and non-conformism; it echoes a lot with my own trajectory. Of course, I have ideas already. But to answer your question, I would say with lots of sincerity, trying to be daring and focusing on the savoir-faire, because this is for sure part of his legacy.”
Di Felice will unveil his one-off collection during the haute couture shows scheduled for June 24 to 27 in Paris.
Top Image: photography by Christina Fragkou.
From top: Jean Paul Gaultier and Nicolas Di Felice photographed by Jean Marques
