Christian Lacroix facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Christian Lacroix
Christian Lacroix, Arles, France, July 2008
Born	(1951-05-16) 16 May 1951 (age 74) Arles, France
Education	University of Montpellier, University of Paris, [[École du Louvre ]]
Label(s)	Christian Lacroix

Christian Lacroix, born on May 16, 1951, is a famous French fashion designer. He is known for his unique and colorful designs. His fashion house, also called Christian Lacroix, is famous for its luxurious and artistic clothing.

Lacroix's designs often mix fancy styles with a relaxed feel. He loves using handmade details like fringe, beads, and embroidery. His work is known for its strong colors and interesting mix of patterns.

Discovering Fashion: Early Life and Education

Christian Lacroix was born in Arles, a town in southern France. From a young age, he loved drawing old costumes and fashion.

After finishing high school in 1969, he moved to Montpellier. There, he studied art history at the University of Montpellier. In 1971, he went to the Sorbonne in Paris. While studying, he also took classes at the École du Louvre to learn about museums. He hoped to become a museum curator, someone who manages museum collections. During this time, he met Françoise Rosenthiel, and they married in 1974.

Starting His Fashion Journey

From 1985 to 1987, Lacroix worked at a famous fashion house in Paris called Jean Patou. This experience helped him learn more about the fashion world.

The Christian Lacroix Fashion House

How the Brand Began

A strapless dress by Lacroix from 1988, displayed at the PMA.

A Lacroix design [right] at The Met's Camp: Notes on Fashion exhibit.

In 1987, Christian Lacroix opened his own haute couture (high fashion) house. He received $8 million in support to start his business. In 1988, he began creating "ready-to-wear" clothes, which are clothes made in standard sizes. He found ideas from many different cultures for his designs.

By 1989, the brand expanded to include jewelry, handbags, shoes, glasses, scarves, and ties. The company also opened stores in cities like Paris, London, and Tokyo.

With his knowledge of historical costumes, Lacroix quickly became famous for his rich and imaginative designs. He created the short "puffball skirt" (called "le pouf"), used many rose prints, and designed dresses with low necklines. He often mixed styles from different times and places, like old fashion history, folklore, and cultures from around the world. He loved bright colors from the Mediterranean region, a mix of patterns, and special fabrics. His designs often showed a theatrical style, which came from his past work in theater.

The fashion house faced financial challenges over the years. In 2009, the business had to make big changes. They stopped making haute couture and ready-to-wear clothes. Instead, they focused on selling licenses for accessories and perfumes. Christian Lacroix himself helped pay for his last haute couture collection in 2009. He said he wanted to continue designing, perhaps in a smaller way.

Christian Lacroix has designed many outfits for famous people. He created Christina Aguilera's wedding dress. In the 1990s, he was a favorite designer for the character Edina Monsoon in the TV show Absolutely Fabulous.

In 2025, a Spanish company called Sociedad Textil Lonia (STL) bought the Christian Lacroix fashion house.

Other Fashion Lines

China Eastern Airlines uniform designed by Lacroix in 2013.

In 1994, Lacroix's collections were inspired by old cultures, folklore, and fables. In 1995, he launched a line of towels that combined fashion and lifestyle.

From 1996 to 2006, the brand had a "Christian Lacroix Jeans" line. He continued to include traditions and ethnic art from around the world in his designs.

In 2000, he created a line of unique accessories, including jewelry with semi-precious stones. In 2001, Lacroix also launched a children's clothing line. By 2004, he added lingerie for women and a menswear line.

Working with Other Brands

In 1997, Lacroix started an "Art de la Table" line with Christofle, making items for dining. He also partnered with Pronuptia to create his "Christian Lacroix Marriage" wedding dress line.

In 2007, Christian Lacroix designed a special bottle for the French mineral water brand Evian. In 2011, he began working with the clothing brand Desigual from Barcelona.

Perfumes and Cosmetics

In 1999, the brand launched its first line of floral perfumes. In 2002, they released another perfume called Bazar.

For Winter 2007, Lacroix worked with Avon cosmetics. They created new perfumes like Christian Lacroix Rouge for women and Christian Lacroix Noir for men. This partnership grew to include other fragrances like Christian Lacroix Absynthe and Christian Lacroix Nuit.

Other Creative Projects

Working with Emilio Pucci

Christian Lacroix was the creative director for the Italian fashion house Emilio Pucci from 2002 to 2005. He left on good terms because he had other projects and wanted to focus his energy elsewhere.

XCLX: Design Beyond Fashion

In 2005, Lacroix started his own company called XCLX. Through this company, he designed the interiors for the French TGV high-speed trains. In 2004, he also designed the new uniforms for Air France staff and crew. Passengers in Air France First Class even receive pajamas designed by him.

His company also worked on interior design for several famous hotels in Paris. These include the Hotel Le Petit Moulin (2005), the Hotel Bellechasse (2007), Le Notre Dame hotel (2010), and Hotel l'Antoine.

Designing for the Stage

Lacroix has also designed costumes for opera, theater, dance, and music shows. His costume designs were shown in an exhibition called "Christian Lacroix Costumier" in Singapore in 2009. In 2022, he created the costumes for the opera David et Jonathas at the Château de Versailles in France.

See also

In Spanish: Christian Lacroix para niños