Last week, Courrèges announced they were parting ways with creative director Nicolas Di Felice. The designer joined the Artémis-owned brand in 2020 and brought it back to cultural and commercial relevance with his slick, sexy designs and uber cool world building. At the time of the announcement, Courrèges said Di Felice was leaving to “focus on personal projects” and did not immediately name his successor. We had a few ideas, though: Casey Cadwallader, Natcha Ramsay-Levi, maybe even Dario Vitale. Courrèges is a pretty small brand, though, with limited funds, so what seemed more likely was that they would find someone high up at one of the more established houses who was ready to go it on their own and offer the job to them. And that’s exactly what they did — hiring Drew Henry away from Burberry, where he has worked as senior design director under Daniel Lee since 2023.
Drew Henry (photo: Jan Lehner)
Henry studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins. He graduated in 2014 and went on to work behind the scenes at Phoebe Philo’s Céline, JW Anderson, Phoebe Philo, and Burberry. “Drew Henry is a strong creative talent with a clear point of view,” said Artémis chairman François-Henri Pinault in a statement. “His experience and understanding of today’s fashion landscape make him well-placed to lead the next phase of Courrèges.”
“His creative talent and contemporary culture make him a perfect fit for the house,” said Courrèges CEO Marie Leblanc. “Together, we aim to accelerate its international expansion and amplify its global reach, while remaining true to the brand’s French heritage.”
“André Courrèges believed in clothes that make sense for how people live,” said Henry. “That matters to me. I have always been drawn to work that feels modern, useful, and direct. Joining this iconic French house, I feel a strong responsibility to honor its history while bringing my own perspective. I am grateful to François-Henri Pinault and Marie Leblanc for their trust, and I am excited to shape a vision for the house that is optimistic, clear, and grounded.”
Henry’s first collection for Courrèges will walk the runway this September at Paris Fashion Week, but if you’re curious about what he’ll be putting out — and why wouldn’t you be? — we’ve got video of his Central Saint Martins graduate collection below. The video starts at the 2:20 mark with Henry’s first exit and his section wraps up around 4:56. It’s good stuff — interesting, well structured, wearable — and he’s surely only gotten better in the 12 years since, so we’ve got high hopes for a killer show when he makes his Courrèges debut this Fall.
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