Drew Henry’s first collection for Courrèges arrived with a simple proposition: fashion should be fun. Presented Wednesday morning at Palais de Tokyo, the Spring/Summer 2027 collection marks a new chapter for the house, with Henry looking to Courrèges’ colourful past while pushing its codes somewhere distinctly his own.
The South African designer, who previously worked at Celine and Burberry, takes over from Nicolas Di Felice, whose tenure was defined by a sleek, sensual take on Courrèges’ futuristic minimalism. Henry’s answer is looser, brighter and considerably more playful.
Colour became one of the collection’s most immediate departures. Neon yellow, acid green, tangerine, burgundy, deep navy and softer pastel tones replaced the stricter palette associated with recent Courrèges collections. Henry has said that revisiting the archives revealed just how colourful the house could be, with an optimism and sense of play that felt worth bringing back into focus.
The clothes followed suit, moving between sharp tailoring, sporty silhouettes, layered separates and more instinctive pieces. Rather than treating Courrèges’ heritage as something precious to preserve, Henry seemed interested in loosening it up and seeing what happens when its familiar codes are given more room to move.
Even the setting made the point. Instead of an elaborate runway installation, chairs sourced from different contemporary decades and contexts were arranged throughout the Palais de Tokyo. Each carried its own history and character, while together they created a deliberately mismatched landscape around the runway. It was a fitting backdrop for a collection built around individuality.
At its core, Henry’s Courrèges is about permission: to wear what you like, to embrace colour, to mix things that perhaps shouldn’t work and, importantly, not to feel the need to explain any of it. After a successful and highly recognizable previous chapter for the house, it is a noticeably different direction.
For a debut, that sense of possibility feels intentional. Henry isn’t trying to erase what came before him. He is opening the door and letting Courrèges have a little more fun.
