Major success in the 60’s and 70’s
Courrèges’ fashion career began when he joined fashion label Balenciaga at the age of 28, a surprising change of career as he had studies to become an engineer. Over the years, he rose the ranks at Balenciaga and finally became first assistant.
In 1961, he decided to launch his own brand, called Maison de Courreges and he broke through in 1964 with his Space Age collection. He also built his own factory, so that he could sell his clothing to more people.
Courrèges sold a part of his company to L’Oréal in 1968, to pay for his expansion. Four years later, the brand had 125 stores all across the world.
Parkinson’s disease
The company would get several different owners over the years, but Courrèges and his wife took full control again in 1994, but he retired a year later and his wife became the creative spark.
They sold the company to Jacques Bungert and Frédéric Torloting in 2011 and Arnaud vaillant and Sebastien Meyer’s creative control gave Maison de Courreges a new lease on life last year.
André Courrèges passed away after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease, whcih was also why he decided to retire in 1995.
