Christelle Kocher and Levi's Unveil Couture Denim Collaboration at Paris Haute Couture Week

Christelle Kocher, artistic director of Lemarié and founder of Koché, has collaborated with Levi's on a 10-look collection that reimagines denim through haute couture techniques. The collaboration debuted during Paris Haute Couture Week, following a preview at the Cannes Film Festival in May where model Toni Garrn wore a blue-black bustier dress embroidered with feathers and denim petals. Kocher's designs integrate intricate craftsmanship—featherwork, pleating, beading, and embroidery—drawing on her expertise at Lemarié, one of Chanel's Métiers d'Art. Key pieces include a white denim skirt striped with pearls and strass, topped with a bolero described as a "flower bomb of feathers and denim," and a black halter dress pleated to evoke Madame Grès. The collection also features lime green jeans with plissé flaring and a diaphanous silk jumpsuit with denim embroidery. Kocher visited Levi's design innovation center in San Francisco and its Los Angeles sample archive, working with Levi's pattern cutters and her Lemarié teams at 19M in Paris. Levi's Design Global Director Karyn Hillman emphasized the focus on craftsmanship, emotion, and the tension between utilitarian and refined. Kocher, an LVMH Prize finalist (2018) and ANDAM Grand Prize winner (2019), has previously collaborated with Paris Saint-Germain and Nike. She plans to relaunch her label Koché in 2027.