Drew Henry debuted his first collection for Courrèges, titled "Space Fantasia," during a show at the Palais de Tokyo this past Wednesday. The South African designer moved away from the brand's recent minimalism to embrace a more colorful,experimental aesthetic.
From Nicolas Di Felice's Monochromes to Drew Henry's Zesty Colors
For the past five years, Courrèges was defined by the vision of Nicolas Di Felice, who utilized a monochromatic palette and precision cutting to modernize the house. However, as reported by WWD, Drew Henry is pivoting toward a "freewheeling approach" that replaces that austerity with zesty colors and raw edges. This shift signals a departure from the polished, almost clinical luxury of the previous era toward something more visceral and unpredictable.
The new direction for Courrèges manifests in the juxtaposition of lean jackets and coats paired with baggy pants. By introducing metallic logos and high-waisted thick belts, Drew Henry is attempting to bridge the gap between the brand's futuristic heritage and a more contemporary, street-influenced silhouette. This transition reflects a broader movement in luxury fashion where the "quiet luxury" of the early 2020s is being challenged by a return to maximalism and expressive eccentricity.
The Phoebe Philo Pedigree and the Influence of Cher and James Baldwin
Drew Henry arrives at Courrèges with a design pedigree rooted in the intellectual minimalism of Phoebe Philo, having worked with her both at Celine and under her independent label. This background is evident in the collection's more grounded, commercial offerings, such as the fluid jumpsuits, lean tunics,and body-skimming knits that provide a structural anchor to the more experimental pieces.
Beyond his professional training at Central Saint Martins, Drew Henry drew inspiration from a mood board featuring James Baldwin, Tracy Chapman, and Cher. According to the report, Henry views the "devil-may-care attitude" of these icons as a mirror to the original, punky spirit of founder André Courrèges. By blending the sophisticated tailoring of his time with Phoebe Philo and the bold personas of his style heroes, Drew Henry is attempting to redefine what "modernity" looks like for the house.
Psychedelic Floral Bra Tops and the Backward A-Line Dress
The "Space Fantasia" collection pushes the boundaries of the Courrèges archive through a series of daring, psychedelic additions. Drew Henry introduced cartoony floral bra tops and cage jumpsuits adorned with tufty flowers, moving the brand into a playful, almost surrealist territory. Most notably, the iconic A-line dress—a staple of the house's 1960s space-age identity—was flipped backward and reimagined as a unisex garment .
This willingness to dismantle brand codes is further highlighted by the inclusion of HotPants featuring a cutout hole over one butt cheek. While these pieces may seem like runway provocations, they represent a desire to inject humor and imperfecction into a brand that had become perhaps too precise. The use of ribbed knits and vinyl jackets maintains a link to the past, but the execution is intentionally less rigid.
The Pumpkin-Colored Jean Barthet Hat and the Archive's Hidden Colors
A central catalyst for this new direction was a shapeless, pumpkin-colored cloche hat designed by Jean Barthet, which Drew Henry discovered while digging through the Courrèges archives. This specific artifact revealed a level of color and humor in the brand's early history that had been largely absent from recent collections, prompting Henry to embrace a more "f—ed up" and spontaneous design process.
Despite the confidence of the debut, several questions remain regarding the commercial viability of this new direction. While the report praises Henry's "ballsiness," it remains unclear how the brand's existing client base, accustomed to Di Felice's precision, will react to the "imperfect" nature of these new designs. Furthermore, it is not yet known if the unisex pivot of the A-line dress is a permanent structural change for the house or a one-time experimental gesture for the Spring 2027 show.
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