Jean Paul Gaultier and J.M. Weston join Comité Colbert in France

BEST FOOT FORWARD: Fashion house Jean Paul Gaultier and shoemaker J.M. Weston are the latest two members French luxury association Comité Colbert.

Although the founder of the house retired from the catwalks in 2020, Gaultier maintained his high division active couture with one -of the collections designed by guest designers.

After Chitose Abe of Sacai; Glenn Martens from Y/Project and Diesel, and Olivier Rousteing from Balmain, it will be Haider Ackermann's turn to present his creations for the brand on January 25.

"We are very happy to join the Comité Colbert and its prestigious members, and proud to be able to contribute to the influence of French know-how, in particular through a new and collaborative approach to haute couture,” said Vincent Thilloy, director of the Jean Paul Gaultier brand.

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"Our house's values ​​of inclusivity and diversity will be central to our contributions", he added.

J.M. Weston, meanwhile, increased his visibility with the 2018 appointment of fashion historian Olivier Saillard as artistic, image and cultural director. Saillard has staged several performances for the shoe brand, including recently a dance class led by renowned choreographers Mathilde Monnier, La Ribot and Asha Thomas.

The latest additions bring the number of luxury houses that are members of the Comité Colbert to 93. The organization includes 17 cultural institutions and six European members.

“The Comité Colbert is delighted with the arrival of these two new members, whose history, the excellence of know-how and international influence promise mutual enrichment at a time when the resilience of our industry is the pride of France,” said Bénédicte Epinay, General Manager of Comité Colbert.

The objective of the organization is to promote luxury, preserve the ancestral know-how of its houses, work on legislative and regulatory issues and anticipate future challenges in the sector.

While luxury houses are struggling to recruit young craftsmen despite the boom in their sales, the Comité Colbert hosted a three-day pedagogical conference last month aimed at promoting craft trades to students.