Franco-Japanese artist, Antoine Kruk is a highly talented illustrator and painter, as well as a costume and fashion designer. He has created for prestigious haute couture houses, such as Louis Vuitton, Thierry Mugler, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, Nina Ricci and luxury ready-to-wear in Paris, Milan and Tokyo. Having graduated from the Beaux-Arts in Paris, he has also made costumes for the stage and the opera, notably for international stars, such as Shakira or Jennifer Lopez.
Antoine Kruk
His international experience in fashion opens the doors to Crazy Horse Paris. This hot-spot of Parisian nightlife calls upon him to produce new creations for the venue. “I’ve always been fascinated by the Crazy Horse Paris. It’s like a cozy, yet elegant jewelry box in which the women there are its diamonds. I want people to notice the costumes which play an integral part in every act, while still remaining unseen and forgotten!”explains Antoine Kruk.
Often asked about the frustration of having to clothe women who are supposed to perform nude, this is what the ingenious artist replies: “Contrary to appearances, this demands as much work as it does
precision. Each detail is tailor-made and you also need to take the ever-changing lighting into account. I’ve tried to accompany each curve of the dancers’ bodies and thereby bring out their beauty, whilst maintaining total freedom of movement and not forgetting a little touch of humor, just as essential as bubbles in champagne!”
At Crazy Horse Paris, Antoine Kruk steeps himself into the traditions of the famed Parisian cabaret, while still adhering to the requests by management to see the shows and costumes evolve. He succeeds in doing so masterfully.
“As it was mainly about paying tribute to Alain Bernardin, when I came to Crazy Horse Paris I dove into the archives. In the pictures, the costumes were quite often red and black. In order to bring about an evolution, but not quite a revolution, I chose to add more life through the use of more color, to go through all the ranges of shine by using iridescent pearls, mirrors and metallic leather to make the costumes more surprising and refined”, the designer continues…
Designer of numerous costumes for the cabaret, located at the heart of the golden triangle in Paris, Antoine Kruk had the rare privilege of gaining access to the backstage and the dancers’ dressing rooms. He sketched the famous Crazy Horse Paris from every angle and curve in approximately one hundred aquarelles.
Immersed in this temple of femininity, the artist felt galvanized by the sensual and ultra-glamorous Crazy Girls. His immersion into the backstage of the mythical venue on avenue George V inspired him to create a humoristic and artistic book of sketches called Crazy par Antoine Kruk (2011).
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