Sophie Theallet
Sophie Theallet (born 1964 in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France)[1] is a French fashion designer[2] whose clients include First Lady Michelle Obama,[3] Jennifer Lopez,[4] Jessica Alba,[5] Oprah Winfrey,[6] and Gabrielle Union,[7]
Sophie Theallet | |
---|---|
Born | France |
Nationality | French |
Education | Le Studio Bercot |
Label(s) | Sophie Theallet, Room 502 |
Awards | National Young Designer Award
CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award Woolmark Prize |
Career
At 18, Sophie Theallet moved to Paris to attend the fashion design school, Studio Berçot. She graduated early after winning France's "National Young Design Award" and was hired by Jean-Paul Gaultier.
Theallet then joined Azzedine Alaïa for a decade before moving to New York City. She now lives in Montreal.[8]
After moving to New York City, Theallet continued to work with Alaïa on a part-time basis, while also freelancing for other fashion labels.
In 2007, she launched her own label, Sophie Theallet. In 2009, she won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award. In 2012, she won the US Woolmark Prize.[9] In 2015, Theallet was a Couture Consultant for the movie The Dressmaker to Director Jocelyn Moorhouse starring Kate Winslet [10]
Theallet is an advocate for inclusion, representation, and diversity in her Fashion campaigns and her Runway Shows [11] [12] In 2014, she partnered with retailer Lane Bryant to bring Fashion Luxury Design to the Plus Size market. She is a trailblazer for opening the road for representation of Plus Size models on the Runway and in High-End Fashion.[13] [14]
Vogue writes about her fashion shows fairly regularly. For example, the Spring 2014 show, which by standing convention was in fall 2013, generated comments from the reviewer that her work "established a tone of ripe sexuality".[15]
In November 2016, Theallet wrote an open letter explaining that she would not be dressing future First Lady Melania Trump due to what she feels was "racist and xenophobic" rhetoric emerging from the tone of Donald Trump's campaign efforts for the U.S. presidency. She was followed shortly by designers Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs [16] A few days later, Tommy Hilfiger responded to Theallet's statement by saying Melania "is a very beautiful woman" and that he felt "any designer should be proud to dress her".[17]
In 2018, she and her family relocated to Montreal where she founded her new label, Room 502, a limited-edition line that is entirely self-funded and sold only through their website.[18]
References
- Sophie Theallet, Voguepedia. Vogue. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
- "home". sophie theallet. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- "Home - Mrs.O - Follow the Fashion and Style of First Lady Michelle Obama". mrs-o.com. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- "Jennifer Lopez in Sophie Theallet - Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". 2 March 2017.
- "Costume Institute Gala 2010". British Vogue.
- "wearing ST". ***.
- Hoshikawa, Karina. "Gabrielle Union Made Glen Check Cool at the Espy Awards". Fashionista.
- "Sophie Theallet Fashion, News, Photos and Videos - Vogue". Vogue. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- Wischhover, Cheryl. "Sophie Theallet Wins $100,000 as the U.S. Recipient of the Woolmark Prize". Fashionista.
- "Sophie Theallet to Design for Kate Winslet in 'The Dressmaker'". 9 October 2014.
- "Sophie Theallet Sends Message of Diversity with Spring Campaign". 9 February 2017.
- Cummings, Faith. "Why This New York Fashion Week Was Actually the Most Diverse Yet". Teen Vogue.
- Binkley, Christina (9 September 2014). "With Lane Bryant Line, Sophie Theallet Looks on the Plus Side" – via www.wsj.com.
- McCall, Tyler. "Why It's Important to Have Plus Size Models on the Runway". Teen Vogue.
- Singer, Maya. "Sophie Theallet Spring 2014 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show". Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- Friedman, Vanessa (21 November 2016). "Fashion Begins to Speak Out About Dressing and Covering the Trumps". Retrieved 22 August 2017 – via The New York Times.
- Lockwood, Alexa Tietjen,Lisa (22 November 2016). "Tommy Hilfiger Thinks Designers 'Should Be Proud' to Dress Melania Trump". Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- Friedman, Vanessa (7 August 2019). "After an Uproar, Fashioning a Fresh Start in Canada" – via NYTimes.com.