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[CAPTION]French designer Julien Fournie (C) celebrates with models after his show during the Women’s Haute-Couture Spring/Summer 2024 Fashion Week in Paris on January 23, 2024. Image: Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt / AFP©[/CAPTION]
French designer Julien Fournie will celebrate his 50th birthday on Tuesday during Paris’s Haute Couture Week, with the circus-themed show set to underline his enduring creativity.
In a sector that has become more subdued following the loss of icons like Thierry Mugler and Karl Lagerfeld, Fournie continues to believe in fashion as a spectacle.
The event, called “First Circus”, will take place at the Mogador theatre in central Paris, with 1,600 invites, including surprise guests.
It’s a major investment for an independent label that must manage its resources.
“I’m not one of those so-called cursed designers who lack ideas. On the contrary, I’ve got about 30 collections in the works in my sketchbooks,” Fournie told AFP at his studio in the 10th district of Paris.
“It’s more the lack of funds that prevents me from creating more,” he lamented.
Tuesday’s show will feature around 30 creations, including menswear for the first time.
Last year, Fournie caused a sensation at the Mogador with a tribute to the “vamp” woman to mark the 15th anniversary of his fashion house.
Elsewhere during Haute Couture week, all eyes will be on the Dior show at the Rodin Museum on Monday which could be the last by Maria Grazia Chiuri.
The Italian’s eight-year stint as creative director of women’s collections is thought by observers to be coming to an end, with British designer Jonathan Anderson, currently at Loewe, tipped to replace her.
‘Fashion doesn’t interest me’
Fournie clings to the idea of haute couture as being about craftsmanship and creating a connection with fans and buyers, rather than a corporate-led exercise in self-promotion through celebrities and influencers.
“Fashion doesn’t interest me. I don’t want to know what’s happening elsewhere. I don’t like trends,” he said. “It’s incredibly wasteful to churn out endless collections.
“We create unique collections for unique clients, which is the essence of haute couture: a one-of-a-kind garment for a one-of-a-kind moment,” he said proudly.
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Many of his dresses are sold before they’re even shown to the public, he said.
But his decision to stage grand shows stands in contrast to Haute Couture’s typically discreet clientele, which includes Middle Eastern and Asian royalty and wealthy buyers from Europe and the United States.
In total, about 60 clients sustain Fournie’s house.
This independence, free from the relentless pace of new releases and accessories of major brands, allows him to maintain a 17-person team during show seasons.
“I can present a collection when and how I want. I don’t force myself to create collections,” he explained.
For now, his priority is to remain independent in a sector increasingly dominated by luxury giants like LVMH and Kering.
Other shows
Chanel’s Haute Couture show is set to take place on Tuesday at the Grand Palais, but the collection has been prepared by in-house designers, not new creative director Matthieu Blazy who was only unveiled in December.
Fendi and Maison Margiela are both likely to be absent following the recent departures of chief designers Kim Jones and John Galliano.
Switzerland’s Kevin Germanier, whose work starred during the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games in August, is set to present his first Haute Couture collection in Paris on Thursday.
Germanier is known for experimenting with upcycling offcuts for his colourful, glittery outfits, telling AFP last year he felt “like Dr. Frankenstein” in the fashion world.
The Valentino show on Wednesday will be the first Haute Couture collection by new artistic director Alessandro Michele.
