64 er’s that inspires him to conceive a dress for a particular occasion. Every period costume is designed for a specific, formal occasion, in conformity with the dress etiquette of the time: tailleur by day, black gown in the evening, hunting jacket outdoors... When the context is clear, Henry immerses himself in reading, indepth research of silhouettes and embroidery in particular, to create a costume that is as true as possible to the original techniques. These dresses are always “freely inspired by...” but brought to fruition in the refined and cultured universe of their creator. The outfits are perfectly finished in all their visible and invisible parts: corsets, necks, petticoats, lace... Henry works on one garment at a time: when he has finished embroidering it to perfection, he moves on to the following creation. On average, the process lasts nine months, although each garment is unique and may require more time if the sewing and embroidery is particularly complex. The various elements of a dress are made separately and according to the feminine proportions of a particular historical period. When they are ready, they are assembled on a custom-made wooden dressmaker’s dummy. It is now that the costume finally reveals itself in all its beauty and incredible complexity, the precision of its finishings and the richness of its colours and details. And unveils the painstaking intricacy and perfection of the embroidery that blends harmoniously into the overall design, enhancing the forms of the dress. The lace, bows, beads, myriad and varied stitchwork, colour nuances, trimmings, buttons and ribbons take us back to the sumptuous outfits of the past. Henry’s designs are inspired by women’s fashion that spans from the 16th century to the end of the 19th. Each era has its own specificities and differing ways of conceiving the body, and the artist loves to venture between one century and the next, one milieu and another. He has never lost the passion he discovered as a child, always expressing a joyful desire to create and to learn by creating. The pleasure and emotion he feels when he finally sees his vision come to life after months of careful work immediately spurs him to begin another. Monsieur Henry’s creations have been exhibited in a number of museums, including the Palais Galliera and the Cité internationale de la dentelle et de la mode at Calais, and in international tradeshows. Henry always seeks a harmony between his creations and the place where they are exhibited: for this reason, historic settings are clearly the best suited to generate such a dialogue. His costumes have found great scenic impact in Medieval castles and 19th-century mansions. He would like to establish a “touring costume museum” travelling to prestigious locations, both public and private, with a cycle of exhibitions tailored to each venue, to create a dialogue between his creations and the architecture and atmosphere of the settings. In 2014, Ollivier Henry received the important “Talent de la rareté” (talent of rarity) prize, awarded by the Centre du Luxe et de la Création of Paris in recognition of the originality of his work.
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