Courrèges
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fashion |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Founder | André Courrèges, Coqueline Courrèges |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Nicolas de Felice (Artistic Director), Adrien Da Maia (CEO) |
| Products | Ready-to-wear clothing, fashion accessories, fragrances |
Number of employees | 100 (1997) |
| Website | www |
Courrèges () is a French ready-to-wear fashion brand established in 1961 by designers André Courrèges and Coqueline Courrèges, originally as a couture house.
History
Founded as a couture label in 1961, Courrèges discontinued its haute couture line in 1967 to concentrate on ready-to-wear collections under the innovative concept of 'couture future,' which has since characterized its output.
To support its growth, the company sold a 50% stake to L'Oréal in 1968. A menswear collection was launched in 1973 but was phased out by 1986.
In 1982, L’Oréal divested its share to the Japanese company Itokin, resulting in André Courrèges losing control of the brand and experiencing declining profits until ownership transferred to Epargne Developpement (a subsidiary of Caisse d'Epargne) in 1990. Following this acquisition, the label reemerged with a boutique at Bloomingdale's and hosted an event at the Paramount Hotel.
By 1993, the ownership structure consisted of André Courrèges Design holding 65% and Epargne Partenaires owning 35%. Jean-Charles de Castelbajac was appointed artistic director but departed after two seasons to launch his own brand.
In 1994, control reverted to André and Coqueline Courrèges; André retired the following year, leaving Coqueline as artistic director.
The brand achieved a global turnover of 2.4 billion francs in 1996 (equivalent to approximately €548 million in 2024). In 1997, operations were centralized at 40 rue François 1er, employing around 100 staff members.
In 2011, the Courrèges family sold the company to Jacques Bungert and Frédéric Torloting. At that point, only the Paris flagship store remained active. The majority of revenue derived from licensing agreements in Japan, while Coqueline’s designed collections were not produced or distributed. That same year, Courrèges collaborated with Evian on a limited-edition water bottle.
The brand made its digital debut through Vente-Privée.com in November 2011, reintroducing updated 'house classics' which were also retailed at Colette (boutique).
Bungert and Torloting sold part of their stake to Groupe Artémis in 2015 and fully transferred ownership by 2018. The manufacturing facility in Pau was closed in 2017.
Yolanda Zobel took over as artistic director in February 2018, bringing expertise from Acne Studios, Jil Sander, and Chloé. She initiated the phase-out of the signature vinyl material due to sustainability concerns, aiming to create a plastic-free identity for Courrèges.
Zobel departed in January 2020; Adrien Da Maia was appointed CEO in March, followed by Nicolas de Felice becoming artistic director in September. De Felice unveiled his first collection in March 2021 and had previously worked under Nicolas Ghesquière at both Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton.
Under Da Maia and de Felice’s leadership, Courrèges regained momentum within the industry, attracting over half of its clientele as new customers after de Felice’s debut collection. Industry professionals lauded the refreshed youthful image that harmonizes heritage with contemporary style.
The menswear collection was relaunched in 2021.
In interviews from that year, de Felice highlighted his commitment to honoring the brand’s legacy while expressing his own vision through straightforward designs without intellectual pretension.
Courrèges partnered with Centre Pompidou on “Over the Rainbow'’, an exhibition centered on LGBTQI+ artistic experiences.
The company’s revenue doubled in 2023, reflecting robust growth attributed to de Felice’s direction.
Boutiques
By 1972, Courrèges operated approximately 125 stores worldwide. The first U.S. location opened on Rodeo Drive in 1973, followed by a New York City boutique in 1974. During that decade, up to thirty stores existed across the United States. The brand returned to New York City in 1991 with a boutique inside Bloomingdale's.
The flagship store on Rue François Premier in Paris underwent redesign by Belgian architect Bernard Dubois at the end of 2020. In September 2021, a store-within-a-store concept launched at Galeries Lafayette (Haussmann), accompanied by a boutique opening in Le Marais. September 2022 saw another New York City boutique open in SoHo, also designed by Dubois, followed by a store on the Rive Gauche district that November.
In 2023, Courrèges partnered with Shinsegae to open a store-within-a-store at their Gangnam location—marking the brand’s fifth global retail presence. In early 2024, new boutiques opened at an expanded Le Marais location (Paris) and at South Coast Plaza (Los Angeles). Additional outlets launched within Shinsegae (Centum City) and Printemps (Haussmann). Notably, Courrèges had previously operated at South Coast Plaza from 1975 until 1982.
A limited capsule collection debuted in October 2024 for a pop-up boutique inside Nordstrom NYC; this temporary store is scheduled to close in December.
Fragrance
In October 1965, Courrèges entered into a distribution agreement with L'Oréal for its inaugural perfume release. The first fragrance, Empreinte, was launched internally in 1971—by then L'Oréal had become the major shareholder. Although later discontinued, Empreinte was reissued in 2021.
The initial men’s fragrance named Amerique appeared in 1977. When L'Oréal divested its half ownership of the fashion house in 1983, it retained full control over Courrèges Parfums, which was subsequently sold to a Swiss entity.
Artistic Directors
- André Courrèges (1961–1995; led couture until 1967, directed women's collections from 1967, oversaw menswear between 1973 and 1986)
- Coqueline Courrèges (1961–2010; responsible for women's collections)
- Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (1993–1994; managed women's collections)
- Sébastien Meyer (2015–2017; women's collections)
- Arnaud Vaillant (2015–2017; women's collections)
- Yolanda Zobel (2018–2020; women's collections)
- Nicolas de Felice (2020–present; in charge of women's collections and men's collections since 2021)
Notes