Portuguese designer Felipe Oliveira Baptista has announced that he will put his eponymous womenswear brand on hold for an undetermined period of time; consequently, there won’t be a Fall 2014 runway show during Paris Fashion Week, as originally planned.
“Séverine and I decided to take time off to think about the future of our collaboration and brand and re-evaluate its structure and existence,” he explained in an official statement. “We will most likely venture into another design or creative field.’’
Felipe and his wife Séverine created the brand in 2003 after winning the 2002 Grand Prix of the Hyères Festival. Oliveira Baptista has also won other notable prizes as a designer, including the 2003 ANDAM and the 2005 LVMH prize, and was also appointed President of the Jury of last year’s Hyères Festival.
His womenswear line was shown during the Paris Haute Couture from 2005 until 2009, but it’s his women’s ready-to-wear shows in Paris from 2009 to 2013 that helped Oliveira Baptista to break-through as a fashion designer within the international fashion industry—a success which eventually led to his appointment as Creative Director of Lacoste in 2010.
As of today, Felipe Oliveira Baptista is still the Creative Director of Lacoste for both womenswear and menswear, and additionally supervises the creation of the brand’s licenses, including shoes, leather goods, and fragrances. The designer is currently celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his own brand with a retrospective exhibition at MUDE in Lisbon until March 30th. His latest womenswear collection for the Spring 2014 season was inspired by the Arabic and Islamic influences in Portugal’s architecture and culture, as well as by Tuareg clothing.
www.felipeoliveirabaptista.com
