Altuzarra is the latest US brand to make the move to Paris
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Fashion
Joseph Altuzarra has accepted an offer from La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to show his US namesake label Altuzarra at Paris Fashion Week, this September.
Joining fellow US fashion houses Proenza Schouler and Rodarte, who presented their couture collections at this year’s Paris Couture Week as part of their transition to the French capital - Altuzarra will show his Spring 2018 collection at Women’s ready-to-wear week.
“I was born and raised in Paris and the city holds a very deep personal significance for me,” said the designer in a statement. “This has been a dream of mine since the very beginning and now the time feels right. I am honored to be invited by La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to show in my hometown of Paris for the first time since the creation of Altuzarra.”
Launched in New York, 2008, the Altuzarra brand has developed a strong presence in the fashion industry with a celebrated aesthetic, featuring feminine tailoring and delicate looks. Altuzarra previously won the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award in 2014, cementing his positive contribution to the industry.
“It was a both a personal decision and a professional one,” Altuzarra told Business of Fashion. The designer, who has shown his designs at New York Fashion Week for the past eight years, was always rooted in Paris.
“Now is the right time for the shift to Paris”, he explained to BoF, “because it coincides with a moment of expansion and growth in the business”. Joining other US designer Thom Browne at Women’s Fashion Week in September - who will be next to leave New York? And what will come of Paris - will the French capital continue to take over the established fashion calendar?
Altuzarra moved to New York after graduating with a degree in Art History from Swarthmore College in Philadelphia. With no design experience, he managed to secure a place interning at Marc Jacobs. Altuzarra then commenced a year long freelance position at Proenza Schouler, where he met Nicolas Caitor, later becoming his apprentice back in his home city of Paris. Securing his place in the fashion industry, Altuzarra stayed in Paris, becoming first apprentice to Riccardo Tisci, the former creative director of Givenchy. After two years with Tisci, the young designer returned to New York where he launched his own brand, debuting his designs at New York Fashion Week 2009. Kering acquired a minority stake in the brand in 2013.
Photo Altuzarra AW17. Courtesy of Catwalkpictures.com