Exhibition Julien Fournié : Haute Couture un point c’est tout!

LACOSTE, FRANCE — The Savannah College of Art and Design is thrilled to announce the exhibition Julien Fournié: Haute Couture un point c’est tout! at SCAD FASH Lacoste.

The exhibition opens April 3 at the university’s international location in Provence, France.

Set in SCAD FASH Lacoste’s wondrously preserved medieval caves, Haute Couture un point c’est tout! is the first museum exhibition for grand couturier Julien Fournié and highlights an expertly curated selection of 20 of the designer’s most iconic and exquisite creations.

“SCAD FASH Lacoste is pleased to exhibit the work of designer Julien Fournié in a major exposition”.

“Welcoming students and the public, the museum celebrates the finest in haute couture. With bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in fashion, jewelry, accessory design, and luxury and brand management, SCAD is known around the world as the international university for creative professions, with locations in the U.S. and France.”

SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace

Fournié is celebrated for his masterful technique and artistry in the traditional French savoir-faire of haute couture. He was elected by his peers as an official member of the prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in 2017 — an exclusive status granted to only 16 luxury brands throughout the world. Fournié’s thematic and fanciful collections, made to measure with precision in his Paris atelier, are composed of the finest materials, rendering elegant works of art that accentuate the female form.

Fournié is beloved by an international clientele for his passion, discipline, and innovative approach to design as art. Fournié embraces technology’s fusion with fashion, often incorporating new digital techniques within the French haute couture tradition. As he expands his artistry into the metaverse, Fournié — the only haute couture designer to imagine the possibilities of the virtual realm — has established his place at the helm of the future of fashion.

While pursuing a medical degree, Fournié developed an anatomical understanding of the body, a skill that informs his accomplishments as a fashion designer. Graduating from the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in 2000 with a master’s degree in fashion design, Fournié joined the atelier of several haute couture houses including Christian Dior during the John Galliano era, Givenchy under Alexander McQueen, and eventually Jean Paul Gaultier.

In 2003, Fournié was named creative director of Torrente Haute Couture. Fournié launched his eponymous label in 2009, instantly becoming one of the industry’s most talented designers. Shortly thereafter, he received an invitation to become a guest member of the official Haute Couture calendar. Just a few years later, Fournié was elected as a permanent member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, joining an elite cadre of the world’s most notable fashion designers and luxury brands. 

“It is a true honor to be in a museum in one’s lifetime, and I am excited to share my pieces and magical textile constructions in a more intimate light than on the runway”.

“Each and every seam was made in our Paris atelier, and we are proud of the masterful needlework techniques used to create my collections. In collaboration with SCAD FASH Lacoste and creative director Rafael Gomes, this exhibition shows that Haute Couture still shines in the 21st century.

This exhibition on French soil will help share haute couture’s core values and highlight the expertise of the world’s best craftspeople who have been working with me over the past 14 years. I share this moment with all the women and men who have helped me build the House of Julien Fournié.”

Julien Fournié

In celebration of Julien Fournié: Haute Couture un point c’est tout! at SCAD FASH Lacoste, President Wallace will host an opening reception with the designer, Saturday, April 1.

SCAD students from many of the university’s top degree programs — including fashion, fibers, animation, illustration, painting, and art history — will have the exclusive opportunity to admire and study Fournié’s creations while engaging with the designer through conversations, master classes, and other programming.

“Julien Fournié is one of French fashion’s greatest masters and truly epitomizes the ideals and expert craftsmanship of haute couture in his work”.

“He is also fearless in his approach to new technology and techniques, and such an inspiration to our students. We are delighted to present Julien Fournié: Haute Couture un point c’est tout! and recognize his incredible artistry and contributions to France’s fashion industry.”

Curator Rafael Gomes, creative director of SCAD FASH museums.

Julien Fournié: Haute Couture un point c’est tout! is on view April 3 through August 15, 2023.

For more information, visit scadfash.org.

About Julien Fournié

For Julien Fournié, haute couture is the source, the jewel, and the talisman of fashion.

From the genesis of his first sartorial emotions, Fournié has been enraptured by the pleasure of refinement. His passion for drawing from an early age fortified his sense of observation, allowing a sharpened ability to transpose his dreams. Equipped with a unique understanding of the body from his early medical studies, his ability to sketch and understand anatomy contributes greatly to his practice and success. After four years of assiduous study, Fournié decided to fully immerse himself into the world of Haute Couture. His training began in the fashion department at the École Duperré. In 1997, he pursued a master’s degree in fashion design at the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, graduating in 2000 as the winner of the Moët & Chandon Award. 

After holding several positions within haute couture houses such as Christian Dior in the John Galliano era and Givenchy during the Alexander McQueen years, he was hired in the haute couture design studio of Jean Paul Gaultier. Later, he worked alongside the garment architect maestro Claude Montana. In 2003, Fournié became the creative director of Torrente Haute Couture.

In 2009, Fournié founded the house that bears his name and was awarded the Grand Prize for Creativity from the city of Paris a year later. A guest member on the official Haute Couture calendar since January 2011, he was also elected by his peers as a permanent member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in January 2017, the same year the French Ministry of Industry granted his brand the covetable Haute Couture label, held today by only 16 ultra-luxury fashion brands.

Through the lens of haute couture, Fournié has spent 12 years researching the possibilities of virtual reality. As a co-founder of FashionLab with Dassault Systèmes, he is a pioneer in the metaverse, aiming to equip fashion with the digital tools for the future and bring an essential elegance into the metaverse.

For more information, visit julienfournie.com

SCAD Lacoste

SCAD Lacoste is a residential study-abroad location in France, offering immersion in the history and culture of Provence. Course offerings each quarter are varied to apply to all SCAD areas of study and are taught by SCAD professors.

Lacoste is a beautifully preserved medieval village and historic destination for artists, known for its extraordinary light and exquisite pastoral setting. SCAD Lacoste structures dating from the ninth to the 19th centuries feature cutting-edge contemporary amenities.

SCAD Lacoste resources include a library, a gallery, a dining hall, and housing, as well as teaching studios dedicated to painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and digital imaging. Students interact with visiting artists, take field trips to museums and historic sites in the area, and have an opportunity to exhibit their work at a local vernissage.             

Celebrated artists and designers visit with SCAD Lacoste students throughout the year.

Notable guests have included actor and designer John Malkovich; designer Bibhu Mohapatra; social media influencer, photographer, and inventor of the cinemagraph Jamie Beck of Ann Street Studio; interior designer and television host Genevieve Gorder; installation artist Hugo Dalton; design legend Ilse Crawford; chief creative officer of Shimoda Design Group Joey Shimoda; Vogue contributing editor Lynn Yaeger; and CFDA Fashion Award-winning designers Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters of Creatures of the Wind.

SCAD: The University of Creative Careers

SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering more than 100 graduate and undergraduate degree programs across locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and online via SCADnow.

SCAD enrolls more than 15,700 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 120 countries. The future-minded SCAD curriculum engages professional-level technology and myriad advanced learning resources, affording students opportunities for internships, professional certifications, and real-world assignments with corporate partners through SCADpro, the university’s renowned research lab and prototype generator. SCAD is No. 1 in the U.S., according to Art & Object’s 2021 Best Art Schools ranking, with additional top rankings for degree programs in interior design, architecture, film, fashion, digital media, and more. Career success is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni employment rate. For the past four years, 99% of SCAD graduates were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 10 months of graduation. SCAD provides students and alumni with ongoing career support through personal coaching, alumni programs, a professional presentation studio, and more.

Visit scad.edu.

Media contacts

SCAD

Scottie Walden Albertson
Director of Public Relations
salberts@scad.edu
+1.470.637.4161

JJ Maxwell
Executive Director, PR and Marketing
jmaxwell@scad.edu
+1.912.525.5362

Julien Fournié Haute Couture

Jean Paul Cauvin
General Manager
Contact and accreditation for the opening of the exhibition

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