Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant exit Courrèges

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Jennifer Braun

Published
Jul 20, 2017

Surprise announcement at Courrèges: designers Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant, who have been working as co-artistic directors for the last two years, are leaving. "The House and the artistic duo have mutually agreed to put an end to their collaboration," the latter said in a news statement without giving further explanation.

The young designers aged 27 and 28 were appointed in May 2015 to head the women's ready-to-wear collection and to give "a new creative breath" to the famous couture house created in 1961 by André Courrèges and bought in 2011 by the advertising duo Jacques Bungert and Frédéric Torloting.
 
They won the Andam Fashion Award in 2014 and were LVMH 2015 finalists. Both stylists had set aside their own label, Coperni, for the relaunch of Courrèges.

The label's return to the catwalk in September 2015 was well received by the public. This first collection was fresh and contemporary, and very focused on product, thanks to easy and sellable pieces that were both simple and fashionable, Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer were a great success. But following the first craze, the brand seems to have struggled to take off, especially at the international level, where its name was less well-known.
 
Today, management believes that the mission of the creative duo has come to an end, as mentioned in a statement. "Sébastien and Arnaud have brought to the brand their vision and talent, and have succeeded in realizing the mission entrusted to them: to awaken the brand by reinterpreting the codes and forms that have made its originality and its boldness".
 
The fall-winter 2017-18 collection is the last one by Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant. "A new creative organization will be announced later by the brand's president, François le Ménahèze, appointed in April 2017," said the fashion house.