Singaporean, Australian and Indian fashion designers in Paris among expat stars to have seized the spotlight in couture capital
The City of Lights has long been a magnet for international talent, from music to the arts, and fashion is well represented, with Australian designer Martin Grant, Andrew Gn from Singapore and India’s Manish Arora making their mark
Cristobal Balenciaga, Kenzo Takada, Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo, Karl Lagerfeld: French fashion may reign supreme but Paris owes a deep debt to the many expatriate designers who left their mark on its colourful history. Even haute couture, its most elevated and most French way of life, was invented by British couturier Charles Frederick Worth.
As Paris continues to be fashion’s creative capital and a cosmopolitan crossroads that attracts designers and couturiers, here are five expatriates making an impact on the Paris fashion scene with eye-catching creations.
“To make your mark in Paris, where fashion winds blow in so many directions, you must stay true to yourself. Your creativity will flourish on its own. This is the only way to distinguish yourself from the pack,” says Andrew Gn, who moved to the city in 1992 and launched his eponymous brand four years later.
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Born in Singapore, Gn furthered his cosmopolitan upbringing by studying at London’s Central Saint Martin and Milan’s Domus Academy before arriving in Paris to assist Emmanuel Ungaro.
