Christelle Kocher to create Emilio Pucci’s 2020 Winter collection

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Feb 1, 2020

Emilio Pucci has opted for a change in strategy. The LVMH-owned Florentine luxury brand has decided to call on various outside designers from now on to reinterpret the label’s archives. This revival will generate momentum for the brand, which has stalled after the departure of Massimo Giorgetti close to three years ago. Christelle Kocher, the talented designer who has shown in Paris since 2015, has been chosen for the first collaboration.
 

The French designer will create Emilio Pucci’s ready-to-wear and accessories collections for Fall-Winter 2020-21. The label announced that her work will be unveiled in Milan on February 20 during the next fashion week. The collection will be available in September 2020 across Emilio Pucci’s 24 worldwide stores, at a selected retailers, as well as on its commercial site and Koché's own e-commerce.

“It’s a privilege for the brand to welcome Christelle Kocher, the designer of Koché, and to revisit the brand’s archives. She’s a great talent whose savoir-faire and streetwear attitude will bring young energy to her unique interpretation of the Fall-Winter 2020 collection,” commented the brand in a press release.

Emilio Pucci was bought by LVMH in 2000 and has had five artistic directors since, along with several changes in management. Julio Espada occupied the position in 2000, followed by Christian Lacroix in 2003 and Matthew Williamson in 2005. The next artistic director from 2008 to 2015 was Peter Dundas, who was appreciated by buyers for taking the brand in a different, more glamorous direction. After his departure in 2017, the collections were done internally by the studio, without as much success.

Revisiting Pucci’s heritage

 
The partnership with Christelle Kocher is the first step towards a new strategy, aiming to refresh and revive the Florentine brand through collaborations. They also intend to communicate this message through other means: “Pucci’s creative strategy is evolving: the label has decided to open its incredible archive to other creative voices. Their innovative interpretations will span Pucci’s heritage, its prints, its lifestyle and its collections,” explained the label.

Kocher’s experiences in the luxury industry speak for themselves. After graduating from Central Saint Martins in London, she began her career at Emporio Armani, followed by an experience with Chloé’s Martine Sitbon, and with Sonia Rykiel.

In 2009, she became Dries Van Noten’s first assistant and then continued to work alongside Tomas Maier for Bottega Veneta’s women’s collections. In 2010, she became the artistic director at Maison Lemarié, the artistic label specialized in feather-work. Owned by Chanel, the label continues to benefit from Kocher’s innovation, especially through her modernization of embroidery techniques.

Her own label, Koché, was launched simultaneously in 2014, winning the Andam award in 2019. Its production and distribution were recently licensed to Renzo Rosso's OTB group.