André Courrèges

André Courrèges, a French born fashion designer and couturier of the 1960s, is held to a mythical status all over the world for his innovation and trend setting designs. As his style evolved from the purest of simple, basic mod designs to his iconic space age creations, Courrèges’ name is now almost universal. His name was branded on haute couture, ready-to-wear styles, and eventually licensed out for lesser-quality garments.

Courreges was born in Pau, France, in 1923. While he originally studied to become a civil engineer, he quickly veered off into a different direction as he moved to Paris and began working for fashion houses. He started his own line in 1961, but only rose to superstar status in 1964 with the launch of modern, characteristically 1960s creations.

The first designs by André Courrèges were beautifully simple, featuring geometric silhouettes in square, triangle, and trapezoid shapes. Rigidly constructed garments in bold, eye popping shades accented with knee-high boots and round sunglasses quickly became his trademark. The majority of his clothing, however, was shaded in brilliant, pure white- his signature colour. In three years he garnered fame as one of Paris’ most original designers.

His next collection featured something the fashion world had never seen before- clothing inspired by outer space. Created out of materials like plastic, and finished off with accessories like goggles, crash helmets, and boots, Courrèges’ space age collection became an instant hit. Featuring angular seams, and an uncluttered and boxy look, it truly was a marvel of its time.

In André Courrèges’ later years, his collections veered into a decidedly different style. With neon colored jersey dresses, barely-there swimsuits, jumpsuits trimmed with sequins, and mechanic’s coveralls in acid shades, Courreges’ style was constantly changing and evolving. His genius for creating sexy, flattering, and innovative designs never faltered, however.

The Courrèges brand is still alive today, however, it is virtually dead with little to no standing in the fashion world. As André Courrèges sold control of his line in 1985 to a ready-to-wear firm, and later died of cancer. He will always be remembered for his iconic styles and part in the 1960s fashion movement.