Parisian fashion school Studio Berçot to close its doors

The Parisian fashion school Studio Berçot has announced that it's putting a halt to its activities. The private higher technical education establishment has been training fashion designers since 1954. The school announced the news via its Instagram account.

Studio Berçot began as Le Cours Berçot, a school for fashion illustrators founded by fashion illustrator Suzanne Berçot in the early 1950s. The programme was then taken over at her request by Marie Rucki in 1970, and finally became Studio Berçot.

Studio Berçot closes its doors

"During the health crisis, Studio Berçot suffered and was hit hard financially," Anne Rucki, the school's assistant fashion director told FashionUnited. "This, combined with major changes in our teaching sector, particularly with the emergence of large groups grouping together one and sometimes even several fashion schools, undermined the financial foundations of our institution."

The school has trained many internationally renowned fashion designers. These include the founder of the eponymous Isabel Marant label, Vanessa Seward, a designer who has worked for Chanel and Saint Laurent, and Bruno Sialelli, former creative director of Lanvin.

Studio Berçot was renowned for its teaching, which focused on "the development of each individual's personality" and a rigorous technical approach. "Each student must find his or her own means of expression, whether graphic, technical or digital," the school website reads. The school's training in fashion design was divided into three years of practical and theoretical courses, followed by a one-year work placement.

Located in Paris' 10th quarter, the school was awarded the 'Best school experience' and 'Best employer experience' certifications in 2023 by Speak & Act, a website that evaluates private and public organisations.

This article was updated on June 28 at 10 PM CEST.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.FR. Translation and editing from French into English by Veerle Versteeg.