When Carmen de Tommaso opened her Carven home in 1945 (contraction of her first name and that of her beloved aunt, Madame Boyriven), so after the Second World War, it was a great revolution for little women. Because the stylist herself was petite and therefore she cut clothes designed to slim all silhouettes, but also because she soon understood the importance of proposing high-end prêt-à-porter, from the 50s (extremely rare for the time) . Its green-and-white stripes, pink checks and easy-to-wear clothes ensured its success, all the more lucrative thanks to well-marketed perfumes that sold like hot cakes.
Once almost forgotten, Carven returns to the forefront of the fashion scene under the artistic direction of Guillaume Henry, since 2009 in 2014. The duo Alexis Martial and Adrien Caillaudaud then succeeded, then Serge Ruffieux. But now Carven nominates (finally!) a woman: the talented Louise Trotter.
Who is Louise Trotter, Carven’s new artistic director?
British fashion designer Louise Trotter succeeded Felipe Oliveira Baptista as artistic director of Lacoste in October 2018before leaving home with the crocodile in January 2023. Previously, he had officiated for nine years at Joseph (premium label, known for its minimal chic, founded in 1972 by Joseph Ettedgui, who passed away in 2010).
Born in 1969 in Sunderland, North East England, Louise Trotter studied marketing and design at Newcastle Polytechnic. She began her career for the famous British brand Whistles, then moved to the United States to become vice president of womenswear design at Gap in New York, before becoming head at Calvin Klein, then honing her weapons at Tommy Hilfiger. She returned to her British roots becoming artistic director in 2007 of luxury brand Jigsaw (founded in 1970 by John Robinson), then of Joseph in 2009.
Carven is “a spirit of freedom, joy and confident womanhood” for Louise Trotter
The appointment of Louise Trotter to lead Carven is therefore something that excites fashion enthusiasts, especially fans of minimalist chic with a comfortable sporty edge. The new artistic director of the maison thus declared in a statement made public, especially on Instagram, on February 22, 2023:
“I am honored to write a new chapter for Carven: a young French house that embodies for me a spirit of freedom, joy and confident femininity. I look forward to respecting Madame Carven’s legacy creating clothes with a new simplicity that are both useful and beautiful, while being respectful of people and our environment. »
Louise Trotter’s first Carven collection will be presented in September 2023 during Paris Fashion Week
The managing director of the house, Shawna Tao (also co-founder of the minimalist clothing brand Icicle, pioneer of eco-responsible fashion, which therefore forms the French-Chinese group ICCF with Carven) added in the same press release:
“Louise Trotter is the ideal candidate to revive the Carven house. She is a talented designer who has the conviction and know-how to do it creating meaningful clothing with a unique understanding of what luxury and sportswear mean today. I believe her values and open-mindedness can take this 70-year-old fashion house to an exciting new place. The Carven team and I look forward to working closely with Louise. »
Louise Trotter will unveil her new vision of Carven for the spring-summer 2024 seasonwhich will be presented in the form of a fashion show during Paris Fashion Week in September 2023. And we already bet that green and white stripes will soon be back in fashion…
Front page photo credit: Instagram screenshot of a portrait of Louise Trotter photographed by Ezra Petronio.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
