Julien Fournie
Julien Fournie

DALLAS, Jul 28, 2008 / FW/ — A French company that has been designing and distributing trench coats since 1905, the Ramosport Spring / Summer 2009 collection designed by Julien Fournié is thought provoking. As a fashion observer, one asks, is Ramosport reinventing itself with its new Creative Director. Is it time for Ramosport to be Burberried?

Way back in the 1990s, Wall Street asked, why is Pucci not Guccied? And in surprising turn of events, Christian Lacroix was hired as the Creative Director of the venerable Italian maison, thus merging Lacroix’s exuberant aesthetics with Pucci’s iconic graphics. And thus, Pucci was Puccied.

So, will the 2000s be Ramosport’s turn to be Ramosported? Reinvention of an image is a path that many established brands takes to survive in this new world of fashion where fast retailing is the name of the game. Mid season collections – cruise and resort, have become as important as the main collections that are presented during fashion week. A brand has to renew itself not just every six months, but every three months to keep up with the internet-speed world.

Ramosport could have not chosen a better designer than Julien Fournié to reinvent the brand and make it the latest fashion darling. French by birth and a product of the prestigious Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, Julien has a well-rounded fashion background.

From creating haute couture at Torrente where he was Creative Director, to designing accessories for Charles Jourdan and several Asian companies, Julien Fournié balances artistry and wearability perfectly.

Signing his first collection for Ramosport, Julien Fournie had already broken the ‘tired and old’ image that the brand had before his arrival. Architectonically designed to flatter the female form, the Ramosport womenswear Spring 2009 collection plays with inlays and bias cuts to compose a wardrobe in both soft and vibrant colors, making it very young and hip, something that the 20-something and 30-something will covet.

To match an extremely feminine womenswear, Julien has chosen to propose a resolutely masculine and refined line for men.

“I was very much inspired by the figure of Alain Delon in films by Jean-Pierre Melville of the sixties and seventies”, says Julien Fournié, the Parisian brand’s Creative Director, who signs thus his first collection for men.

Trench coats, parkas, blouson jackets are made for a world traveler, a city-dweller who likes to move around on four wheels or two wheels alike. He enjoys these pieces, which always ensure his comfort, whether wearing the businessman suit, or more casual denim and tee shirt under them.

Now, how cool is that?