Nicolas Di Felice Is Jean Paul Gaultier's Next Guest Couturier

Courrèges designer Nicolas Di Felice is Jean Paul Gaultier's newest guest couturier.

The Belgian-born designer will showcase his special collection this summer during Paris Couture Week in June. Di Felice will be the seventh guest designer following talents such as Olivier Rousteing, Glenn Martens, Simone Rocha and Chitose Abe. Since retiring from the runway, Gaultier has made it a point to invite fashion's foremost creatives to provide their own interpretations of his archival work, breathing new life into his inimitable designs.

"I [found] Nicolas to [have been] bold and creative from the beginning of his career. Choosing him aligns perfectly with the idea of seeing what a designer can bring to my style," Gaultier shared with WWD. During his three-year tenure as Courrèges' artistic director, Felice "has very successfully reinterpreted [its] style while bringing in new influences on the table. You can immediately recognize what inspired him from Courrèges and what he has created," the French designer adds.

Growing up, Felice revered Gaultier, revealing, "Jean Paul was the only figure that was famous in my hometown. He completely changed fashion and offered it to a wider audience." It's clear Gaultier has had an indelible impact on Felice's trajectory as the current Courrèges designer began his career as a teenager making photocopies at Jean Paul Gaultier's studio. Felice is aware of the shoes he has to fill as he hinted at the collection, expressing, "Of course, I have ideas already. But to answer your question, I would say with lots of sincerity, trying to be daring and focusing on the savoir-faire, because this is for sure part of his legacy."

Stay tuned for more updates.