JC de CASTELBAJAC

From striking outfits with Disney heroes to laid-back plain colors, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac balances comics and poetry in his work.

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Shared joy ... Jean-Charles de Castelbajac with models after the show in Paris. What is the secret of his success? “Family” is both his own and the working team.

With generally accepted norms and conventions, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac never had anything in common. A descendant of a noble French family, he was born in 1949 in Casablanca. Already his first design work, Jean-Charles immediately attracted attention: in 1968, he sewed a jacket from bedspreads for a clothing store owned by his mother.

The real finest hour struck for him in the 80s - the time of New Wave, rap, Madonna in music and pop art in art. Then Castelbajak unraveled the pop code for fashion.
His trademark was the fabric with which he boldly quoted popular culture, from Mickey Mouse to the dollar bill, from McDonald's to the Kermit frog from the Muppets. In 2009, from a variety of plush Kermit designer created a jacket, which then appeared Lady Gaga. Thanks to the explosion of color and bold design, Jean-Charles was and remains the favorite of many celebrities - from the electronic group Kraftwerk to the singer Beyoncé. And in 1997, even Pope John Paul II and his entourage appeared in colorful robes created by Castelbajak.
Then, contrary to all public expectations, the designer refuses flashy colors and develops a completely monophonic collection - laid-back and feminine. Green, red and blue dominated his work for 40 years. “Now I am expanding my color spectrum,” Jean-Charles jokes.
What inspires him? "Love and curiosity, even completely small details give me an impetus. I need to learn how to convey them in my works. After all, the most important thing in fashion is not glamor or luxury. The most important thing in fashion is poetry."

BRAND HISTORY DATE
In 1969, the first show of the women's collection of foam rubber, textile, paper ...
In the 1970s, Jean-Charles created costumes for the series "Charlie's Angels" and the band Kraftwerk.
In 1978, the designer founded the brand JC de Castelbajac and worked with prints.
In 1982 - 1985, dresses resembling paintings appeared.
In 2010, Jean-Charles develops stage costumes for Lady Gaga and Beyoncé.
PHOTO: BODORICASSEL, VAB (4), DPA (1), GETTY IMAGES (2). FIGURE: Jean-Charles-de-Castelage.