LACOSTE, FRANCE — The Savannah College of Art and Design is pleased to announce the exhibition Christian Lacroix Habille Peer Gynt pour la Comédie-Française at SCAD FASH Lacoste museum, July 1–Nov. 1, 2023. The exhibition features 50 spectacular costumes brought to life by famed French fashion designer Christian Lacroix for the Comédie-Française’s acclaimed production of Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. Curated by fashion historian and curator Olivier Saillard and organized by Rafael Gomes, creative director of SCAD FASH museums, the exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Comédie-Française.
“This summer, students and visitors to SCAD FASH Lacoste will fall in love with Christian Lacroix Habille Peer Gynt pour la Comédie-Française, an exhibition of the wondrous costume designs of couturier Christian Lacroix. In this exquisite show, Lacroix weaves the history of continental drama with the future of fashion in exquisite costumes that transport the viewer into Ibsen’s timeless tale. This never-before-seen exhibition demonstrates how SCAD FASH Lacoste embraces the exuberant multiplicity of contemporary design, merging the disciplines of couture and costume, fashion and fantasy.”
Paula Wallace | SCAD President and Founder
Lacroix’s passion for folklore, art, and costume history is illuminated in this exclusive exhibition of ensembles for Peer Gynt. From the titular ne’er-do-well adventurer to brides, Scandinavian villagers, a troll princess and her troll king father, and a Bedouin tribe, Ibsen’s fantastical characters are elaborately reimagined in garments evincing the designer’s bona fide flair, combining the principles of high fashion with the technical precision of stage costuming. Lacroix’s longstanding collaboration with the ComédieFrançaise began more than 25 years ago with the famed theater company’s production of Phèdre, followed by productions of Cyrano, Lucrèce, Roméo et Juliette, and the spring 2012 production of Peer Gynt, among many others.
A native of Arles in Provence, Lacroix was mesmerized at a young age by the theater, constantly sketching creations for his own fanciful characters. His love of world cultures led him to study art history in Paris, where he enrolled at institutions including the Sorbonne and École du Louvre. After honing his craft at various fashion houses, assisting Guy Paulin, and designing for Jean Patou, Lacroix debuted his own eponymous house in the mid-1980s. Bold, luxurious collections full of color, pattern, and rich embellishment would become signatures of his work, conveying a sense of gaiety and decadence. In the decades since, Lacroix has earned critical acclaim for his designs, including creations for illustrious venues and performance companies like the ComédieFrançaise, Opéra Garnier, American Ballet Theater, and The Metropolitan Opera.
“The work of Christian Lacroix is expansive — of all the couturiers of his time and of the past, he is the only one to have bent a discipline, to imagine theater costumes according to his haute couture expertise. His own haute couture is not uncompromising. It accepts all hierarchies, the unfinished and excellence that can be found in flowery fields. The costumes Lacroix invented for the Comédie-Française as part of Peer Gynt speak to this haute couture freedom — their beauty is appreciated because it is in flight.”
Oliver Saillard | Fashion historian and curator
The exhibition also inaugurates the museum’s new space, once the Galerie Centre owned by designer Pierre Cardin, a longtime Lacoste resident and cultural ambassador for the region. Cardin enjoyed a treasured friendship with SCAD, and for more than two decades, he embraced the role of mentor, engaging with hundreds of SCAD students studying in Lacoste across the university’s degree programs, from fashion to architecture. In this spirit of shared dedication to the region, SCAD is committed to stewarding Cardin’s legacy and continuing to bestow inspiration to young artists and visitors in the museum’s new home.
“It is a remarkable opportunity to present the work of Christian Lacroix, native son of Provence, at SCAD FASH Lacoste. Lacroix’s contributions to fashion know no bounds, and his theatrical work should be equally celebrated for its elegance. Lacroix’s special longstanding collaboration with the Comédie-Française is important to honor, as both are bastions of French culture, and we are thrilled to present Lacroix’s imaginative Peer Gynt designs to our students and visitors this summer.”
Rafael Gomes | Creative director of SCAD FASH museums
On the occasion of the exhibition opening, SCAD FASH Lacoste and SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace will host an intimate celebratory reception honoring the designer with Saillard, representatives from Comédie-Française, and special guests of the region in attendance. SCAD students from an array of top-ranked degree programs — including fashion, art history, film and television, production design, and illustration — will have the exclusive opportunity to engage with the curator and collaborators through special engagements and programming.
Christian Lacroix Habille Peer Gynt pour la Comédie-Française is on view at SCAD FASH Lacoste museum, July 1–Nov. 1, 2023.
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ABOUT CHRISTIAN LACROIX
Christian Lacroix’s deep understanding of folklore, art, and fashion — combined with bold irreverence — crystalizes in the signature glamour for which his designs are known. Born in Arles, France, Lacroix showed an early interest in the art and cultures of the world. His childhood love of sketching and history led him to study art history in Paris, where he enrolled at institutions like the Sorbonne and École du Louvre. While in school, he began working as an illustrator for fashion houses before becoming an assistant to Guy Paulin. After going on to work for Jean Patou, Lacroix started his own eponymous house in the mid-1980s. His collections burst onto the fashion scene with a sense of gaiety, decadence, and fun that would become tantamount to his work. After a decades-long run, the powerhouse designer sold the house in 2009 to realize his early dreams of becoming a museum curator as well as a costumer. Mixing and matching global inspiration with the past, Lacroix has made his mark in fashion history through his opulently theatrical designs.
SCAD LACOSTE
SCAD Lacoste is a residential study-abroad location in France, offering immersion in the history and culture of Provence. Course offerings each quarter are varied to apply to all SCAD areas of study and are taught by SCAD professors. Lacoste is a beautifully preserved medieval village and historic destination for artists, known for its extraordinary light and exquisite pastoral setting. SCAD Lacoste structures dating from the ninth to the 19th centuries feature cutting-edge contemporary amenities. SCAD Lacoste resources include a library, a gallery, a dining hall, and housing, as well as teaching studios dedicated to painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and digital imaging. Students interact with visiting artists, take field trips to museums and historic sites in the area, and have an opportunity to exhibit their work at a local vernissage.
Celebrated artists and designers visit with SCAD Lacoste students throughout the year. Notable guests have included actor Jeremy Irons; artist and illustrator Ruben Toledo, actor and designer John Malkovich; designer Bibhu Mohapatra; social media influencer, photographer, and inventor of the cinemagraph Jamie Beck of Ann Street Studio; interior designer and television host Genevieve Gorder; installation artist Hugo Dalton; design legend Ilse Crawford; chief creative officer of Shimoda Design Group Joey Shimoda; Vogue contributing editor Lynn Yaeger; and CFDA Fashion Award-winning designers Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters of Creatures of the Wind.
SCAD: THE UNIVERSITY FOR CREATIVE CAREERS
SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering 100 graduate and undergraduate degree programs across locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and online via SCADnow. SCAD enrolls more than 17,500 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 120 countries. The future-minded SCAD curriculum engages professional-level technology and myriad advanced learning resources, affording students opportunities for internships, professional certifications, and real-world assignments with corporate partners through SCADpro, the university's renowned research lab and prototype generator.
SCAD is No. 1 in the U.S., according to Art & Object's 2023 Best Art Schools ranking, with additional top rankings for degree programs in interior design, architecture, film, fashion, digital media, and more. Career success is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni employment rate. A 2023 study found that 99% of SCAD graduates were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 10 months of graduation. SCAD provides students and alumni with ongoing career support through personal coaching, alumni programs, a professional presentation studio, and more. Visit scad.edu.