CHRISTIAN LACROIX SAVED?

If there was an outpouring of emotion just a few short months ago when the news broke about Christian Lacroix’s house filing for voluntary bankruptcy in Paris, it became even more acutely emotional when the designer overcame inordinate amounts of obstacles to present his 24 look couture collection mere weeks ago (he relied on the help of friends and dressmakers who donated their time and resources).

Lacroix truly showed he was a master of his craft by churning out what many called the best collection of this past couture season on an exceedingly minimal budget.

The designer’s last couture collection was basically a plea to investors to buy his company and save his legendary house. His collection was not only wearable, but it presented couture in a new, modern way - something we weren’t necessarily expecting from Lacroix, who is the king of colorful fashions. It appears, however, that Lacroix has succeeded. Reuters broke the news that the famed house’s owner, the Falic Group, will receive a bail out bid by turnaround investment group Bernard Krief Consultants on Monday, July 27th. This move will save the French house from not only having its workforce of 124 artisans reduced to a mere 12 (for this past couture show, it took 13 seamstresses to work on one atelier dress alone), but from being reduced to nothing more than a licensing operation.

Head of Bernard Krief, Louis Petiet remarked that haute couture is part of the cultural heritage, and that the restructuring firm thinks that Christian Lacroix is the greatest of all the contemporary designers.

Here’s to hoping that Lacroix will not only be saved, but that the legendary house will finally, after not doing so for its 22 years in existence, turn a profit.