Christian Lacroix is back

To all the members of the haute couture, they can finally heave a sigh of relief. One of the couture master, Christian Lacroix is making a come back after he filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Sheikh Hassan Ben Ali al-Naimi who is close to the ruling family of the UAE has made an offer of $100 million to take over the fashion house after Italian retailer Borletti who owns La Rinascente and Printemps department stores in Italy and France, withdrew his bid.

Lacroix had always been interested in art history, museum paintings and theater or opera festivals which greatly influenced him as a designer. He did not come from a strong fashion background, instead, he studied Art History at the University of Montpellier in hope of becoming a museum curator. Later on, he met a very important man by the name of Jean-Jacques who helped him launched his career as a fashion designer. Jean-Jacques found him a job at Hermes in 1978 and after with Guy Paulin in 1980.

Lacroix opened his own couture house in 1987 and launched his ready-to-wear line in 1988. His designs were highly influenced from the diverse cultures and fantasy. Critics were not a big fan of his work when he first started but he quickly became one of the most influential designer of our time, creating some of the most beautiful dresses.

It was a very sad moment in the fashion industry when Lacroix had his final runway show in July 7, 2009. Despite the standing ovation and strong support from his clients and fans, his last runway show were only made possible because of the time and skills donated by the seamstresses, embroiderers, jewelers, milliners and shoemakers who were very loyal to Lacroix. After the bankruptcy of the fashion house, Lacroix did not think that things are going to go back to how it used to be, “I didn’t want to cry. I want to continue, maybe in a different way, with a small atelier. What I really care about are the women who do this work,” said Lacroix.

Despite the emotional turmoil, the hope for the French couturier to come back seems very positive and soon enough, members of the haute couture can continue collecting his masterpieces back in their closets.