The fashion designer takes the reins at the storied fashion house, as Patou approaches its 100th anniversary. Guillaume Henry shares his ambitions for the French heritage brand, which has been dormant since the 1980s. With an out-of-the-ordinary vision, Henry hopes to awaken this sleeping beauty from a decades-long slumber.

This afternoon, Patou will present its first ready-to-wear collection designed by Guillaume Henry. The last time this French maison, founded in 1914 by Jean Patou, hit the runway, it was precisely in July 1986 during the Haute Couture presentations. The maison’s stylist at that time was Christian Lacroix and, the day after the show, Lacroix resigned and established his own label with the financial support of Bernard Arnault. From then on, the brand has merely been able to survive through its cosmetics and fragrance businesses – its fragrance “Joy” being particularly successful. A success which ultimately convinced the LVMH Group to acquire all of Patou’s activities in 2018 and repurpose the fragrance’s name within Christian Dior perfumes. Continue reading →