“Haute Couture, that's all there is to it.” Julien Fournié exhibits at SCAD Lacoste

Did we have to wait for SCAD Fash Lacoste, an American school based in Atlanta and Savannah (Georgia), cities not particularly renowned for fashion, to offer designer Julien Fournié his first exhibition open to the public in France? It seems that way.

From April 3 to August 15, 2023, the premises of the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) campus, located in the village of Lacoste in the Luberon region of France, is devoting two spaces to the exhibition "Haute Couture, un point c'est tout! It features the work of the great French couturier Julien Fournié. The designer was looking radiant on the occasion of the opening which took place on Saturday April 1. And no, it's not an April fool's joke, but a real project close to the heart of Paula Wallace, founder of SCAD, and Rafael Gomes, curator of the exhibition.

L'art à porter de Julien Fournié ou la silhouette d’une femme émancipée

”Clothing is a non-verbal message that tells a story," Julien Fournié explained. One might think that fashion trends emancipate women, but this is not true. Women don't want to be all the same. Only a unique design can emancipate them. Haute Couture, that's all there is to it. A total of 19 outfits are on display. Although the inspirations are varied, they all reflect his obsession with superwomen: "I don't do fashion, I create characters." Like Alfred Hitchcock, he loves blond femme fatales.

His "Les Oiseaux"- which translates to ‘the birds’ in English- dress, a swirling mosaic of black lacquered goose feathers positioned on the wrong side, made in collaboration with feather-maker Julien Vemeulen, is a tribute to the director's film. The tentacle tiara of the "Black Mermaid" dress and the harness necklace of the "Rainbow Mermaid" were designed in blown glass and crystal by master glassmaker Adrian Colin. Some of the glass drops contain liquid. Love elixir or poison? Julien Fournié's imaginary world oscillates between princesses (his clients), fairies and fairy-tale witches to whom, in a contemporary way, he offers freedom of movement and comfort.

"We started with the idea of mirrors, but whereas I would have chosen the safe option of white and black walls, Julien preferred a deep blue plexiglass," curator Rafael Gomes said. The wedding dress, entitled ‘En majesté’, from the spring/summer 2023 couture collection, is infinitely reflected there, like a projection of the journey through time that it could make if one of the SCAD Fash students were to immerse themselves in it.

A Haute Couture showcase for American art school SCAD

The opening was an opportunity to meet sixteen students who had just arrived from Savannah, Georgia. As part of their training, the Savannah students are invited to spend eight weeks on campus in France. They are housed in the SCAD Lacoste's 'lower house' or directly in the village, at the foot of the castle, in one of the seventy buildings that belong to the school.

Among them, future textile designers who will have the opportunity to discover the know-how of French and Indian art crafts ( Julien Fournié works with Aya Wassef, agent for the Shanagar workshop, for his embroidery). But also all the facilities that make SCAD Lacoste a unique place, between the historic stones, the history of France, the interior decoration laid out in library spaces and the high-tech teaching providing more than forty diplomas, that is to say one hundred specialties.

"Not many people realise that one of the best American art schools is located in Georgia," Cedric Maros, the school's director explained. "Organising this kind of event allows us to offer an educational experience to our students, who have the chance to meet creators on campus, but also to introduce our school to the general public," he said.

Was it necessary for Julien Fournié to come and exhibit at Lacoste in order to discover, from the inside, the training and residency work for artists that SCAD provides? It would appear so.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.FR. Translation and editing from French into English by Veerle Versteeg.