By Cheryl Tay
The newest Grand Couturier to join the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, Christophe Josse showcased his Fall/Winter 2011/2012 collection during Women's Fashion Week 2011 Singapore from 26 to 30 October 2011.
SENATUS looks at designer whose quiet reserve of character is matched by the exuberant brilliance in his designs.
Earlier this year, in January, Christophe Josse was elected into the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture and conferred the prestigious title of Grand Couturier. Prior to this, he had been invited to show his collections during the highly anticipated haute couture calendar since 2006.
Having always been fascinated by history and appreciative of art, Christophe Josse pursued an education in art history before deciding to become a fashion designer. He then spent a year studying stylisme.
For him, the progression from studying art history to working in fashion was “an inevitability”. Following his graduation, he had the opportunity to work at several fashion houses, including Louis Féraud and Torrente. Josse rose quickly to become the first assistant of Rose Torrente-Mett, the Director of Torrente’s haute couture studio at that time; when she left in February 2003, he was named the Director of the haute couture collection.
Josse left Torrente in 2004 to begin his own brand, and presented his first couture collection in Paris in July 2005, supported by the Japanese. His atelier and showroom at 231, rue Saint-Honoré, Paris was opened in January 2008.
His passion for creating haute couture is plain to see with the great attention paid to the finest detailing on his dresses. Intricate embroidery, the fastidious layering of exquisite materials like metallic snakeskin and feathers and the precision with which each garment is tailored show the dedication and love Josse and his team put into every piece.
His latest collection for Fall/Winter 2011/2012 was inspired by the medieval armour that captured his attention at an exhibition. The graphic strong lines and hard metal of the masculine armour are, incredibly, translated into sophisticated, feminine silhouettes made of luxurious fabrics.
Josse’s creations are made to give their wearer an aura of femininity and romance that can be felt by all.
Each of his designs is the pursuit of the delicate and beautiful, resulting in a quintessential Parisian style. The same spirit of high fashion is conveyed in his ready-to-wear line, which also carries hints of the neo-romantic flair he is so famous for.
