PARIS — Bernard Perris has been appointed designer of haute couture, boutique couture and women’s ready-to-wear at Jean-Louis Scherrer SA.
Perris, 58, who began working on Scherrer’s spring-summer rtw collection Tuesday, replaces Erik Mortensen,
The appointment of Perris coincides with the announcement that Jean-Louis Scherrer and the fashion house that bears his name have reached an out-of-court settlement that will allow him to begin working again as a designer.
And, in a potential waltz of the couturiers, Scherrer’s next job may be replacing Oscar de la Renta at Balmain. Scherrer told WWD that he has held talks with Balmain’s principal owner Erich Fayer on the possibility of becoming that house’s couturier.
“The nightmare has finished for me. Now I can plan my future. I have refound my identity and honor,” said Scherrer, who was booted out of the Scherrer fashion house in December 1992. Regarding his discussions with Balmain’s Fayer, Scherrer said: “We had exploratory talks at best, as — at that moment — I couldn’t work. And Mr. Oscar de la Renta obviously still has his contract.”
He added that he “would not dream” of joining Balmain without first talking to de la Renta.
“I would not behave like Mortensen. He walked into the house of Jean-Louis Scherrer without saying a word to me,” complained Scherrer. Erik Mortensen’s appointment as couturier for Jean-Louis Scherrer SA was announced simultaneously with the unceremonious sacking of Scherrer.
A Balmain spokeswoman said that it is “out of the question to discuss a position for anyone at Balmain while Mr. de la Renta is the couturier.”
She confirmed, however, that Fayer had met Scherrer. “But he meets lots of people, so it’s ridiculous to start speculating,” she added.
De la Renta, who joined Balmain in 1992, has two more seasons of couture to run in his contract. Reached in New York, de la Renta said that a possible change at Balmain was news to him.
“When I was working on the last collection, the Balmain people came to me and said they wanted to renew my contract for five more years,” he said. “I told them I wanted to think about it. I signed a three-year contract which is up in one year, and probably I will keep on doing what I am doing, but I haven’t renegotiated yet.”
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Scherrer’s lawyer, Jean Rouche, said that the designer had received financial compensation for unfair dismissal from the fashion house. Scherrer had been fired by company management because of alleged “faute lourde,” which means serious transgression of duty. It is the most serious charge that an employer can bring against an employee in France. Scherrer’s firing was followed by multiple lawsuits filed by both parties.
Under the terms of the settlement, Rouche said, Jean-Louis Scherrer can now design for other couture houses in Paris, and could place his name on a collection’s label as “by Jean-Louis Scherrer.” But he cannot name any collection he designs “Jean-Louis Scherrer,” or advertise the line with his name.
Although neither Scherrer nor the fashion house would reveal the compensation paid to the designer, it is understood that Scherrer received several million dollars.
At the house of Scherrer, Perris said that his rtw collection will be shown by appointment only to buyers in October.
“I want Scherrer to be about very modern elegance and the sophisticated woman,” he said. “I’m not going to try and compete with Christian Lacroix and Karl Lagerfeld.”
According to a company statement, Mortensen chose not to renew his two-year contract, which expires at the end of this year, for personal reasons.
Mortensen was traveling Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
Perris said Mortensen will present a collection of Scherrer at the Royal Court of Denmark on Sept. 15., and leave the house in November.
“Bernard Perris is a dynamic designer who is well known in the U.S. and just the person to revitalize Scherrer,” said the house’s president, Kuniko Tsutumi. Her family’s giant trading company, Seibu, owns roughly 90 percent of the fashion house, while the rest is held by Hermès International. “Perris was available, and his name is known around the world,” said Jean-Claude Cathalan, Scherrer’s managing director who runs the day-to-day activities of the house. “And Mortensen deserves congratulations for having worked during such a difficult period for the company,” he added.