Jazzy colours, funky
prints and swinging embroidery. Benoît Missolin composes a Pop fashion.His
rustling Carioca dresses oscillate between Frida Khalo and Lio, while his basics, rhythmic,
with flashy details suggest the careless attitude of Etienne Daho’s
“Week-end à Rome” period. Benoît
Missolin has fun with clichés, his naïve and sparkling creations
are an invitation to “go party”!
Born in Avignon the 6th of July 1973, Benoît Missolin spent his
childhood in Vaison La Romaine. The bambino creates outfits for his Snoopy,
scribbles dresses in the margins of his school books.
Adolescent, he sends his sketches to the main fashion houses. Christian
Lacroix replies, thus begins a correspondance; the couturier acts as mentor
and guide. School diploma in pocket,
Benoît Missolin makes off for Paris.
He takes courses at the school of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture,
before heading off to the Studio Berçot. Then a series of apprenticeships,
at Christian Lacroix — bien sur — but also at Jean Colonna,
Thierry Mugler, and Fred Sathal where he is appointed assistant.
In his free time, the young man elaborates funky accessories: bags with
cow-boy motif appliqués for the girls and sequined cummerbunds
for the boys. He designs his first collection in 1997, but things really
start to take shape in 2001 when he presents his first mixed catwalk show
under a Tyrolese-Disco inspiration. The following collections go from
“Croisière à Hawaï” to “Piste aux
Etoiles”. Each season,Benoît Missolin produces a scintillating
catalogue where vintage shop window dummies in effigies of Marilyn or
Elvis take preferrence over top models.
In November 2002, winner at the “Gwand Festival”, he comes
away with the Swiss Textile Award; a financial aid that will consequently
accompany his developpement.
In November 2004, he was chosen to represent France in Absolute Vodka’s
project, “Absolute Label”,for which he created a limited edition
of 150 sweatshirts.
Next, it’s Soco’s turn, as they ask him to reinterpret the
look of their brand in honor of the 20th anniversary of the “San
Diego” collection.
Since the summer of 2005, he has chosen to focus on accessories, and he
has created a collection of hats recovered with a patchwork of vintage
silk foulard fabric; a unique “couture” body of work that
has enabled him to branch to other artistic endeavors.
During France’s year of cultural exchange with Brazil “Brésil,Brésils”,
he was chosen by the City of Paris to create a collection of bags in collaboration
with an embroidery cooperative in one of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas,
where he was in residence during April and May 2005.
For 2006, Benoit Missolin created the costumes for the theater production
“L’illusion comique” directed by Manon Savary, and presented
in June at Jacques Garcia’s Chateau du Champ de Bataille. He also
spend the month of november in residence at San Cristobal de las Casas,
Mexico, where he produced an art project in collaboration with photographer
Vincent Gapaillard. |