Parisian fashion houses don’t stop playing musical chairs. While Clare Waight Keller and Natasha Ramsay-Levi are presenting their debut collections at Givenchy and Chloé respectively this September, Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant exit Courrèges after just two years of creative direction. The couple was hired in 2015 by French advertising executives Jacques Bungert and Frédéric Torloting, who acquired Courrèges in 2011 from the brand’s namesake founder André Courrèges. Although Courrèges was the 20th century synonym of fashion modernism in Europe, the maison‘s name appears to be not as well-known as Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel or Balenciaga today. Actually, reviving Courrèges seemed to be complicated since the very beginnings. First, other old French brands like Paco Rabanne and Vionnet where being revitalised at approximately the same time, evidently with greater funds and patience. Second, Sébastien’s and Arnaud’s sophistication and desire to keep Courrèges a rather quiet, celebrity-free brand is hardly possible in today’s industry – unfortunately. And that’s quite a pity, as their collections intriguingly redefined Courrèges codes in a truly modern way – no big venues or fuss, but  pure focus on the clothing.

According to the official statement, François Le Ménahèze, who was named president of Courrèges in April 2017, will announce the brand’s new designer when the time comes. But what does the future hold for the extremely talented Meyer and Vaillant? It’s worth remembering that the duo set aside their well-received by editors and retailers label Coperni Femme to focus on Courrèges. Will they return to their roots? Or are they planning a new venture into another fashion house? For now, lets look back at the boys’ achievements at Courrèges.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.