French fashion designer Thierry Colson has died at the age of 62. His death was announced on Thursday via his eponymous brand's Instagram account, which said his family, friends and team were united in grief and thanked supporters for their backing during his lifetime. No cause of death was disclosed. (WWD)

Born in 1961, Colson graduated from Studio Berçot, a respected private fashion school in Paris, and later returned there as a teacher. The school, which counted designer Vanessa Seward among its alumni, closed in 2023. Seward, who studied under Colson in the late 1980s, remembered him as her favourite teacher. She credited him with helping launch her career by introducing her to designer Martine Sitbon and securing her an internship at Chloé, the French house founded in 1952. (WWD)

Before launching his own label, Colson worked as a stylist and editor for publications including Vogue Homme, Numéro Homme, Madame Figaro, Glamour, Mixte and Air France Magazine. He also served as a consultant to fashion houses including Chloé, Jil Sander and Lacoste. Colson and Sitbon, who first crossed paths through Studio Berçot, worked together for several seasons at Chloé. (WWD)

Colson founded his namesake label in 2005, starting with boxer shorts and shirts before shifting exclusively to women's ready-to-wear — the factory-produced clothing line that forms the commercial backbone of most fashion brands. His work blended French design sensibility with handcrafted textiles from India, rooted in natural fabrics, hand-block prints and artisanal production methods. (WWD)

In 2021, the Fragonard sisters — who oversee the Fragonard Museum devoted to Provençal costumes in Grasse, southern France — invited Colson to explore the museum's galleries and archives, a collaboration that reflected his long-standing interest in textile history and regional craft traditions. (FashionNetwork)

Colson's career spanned the editorial, educational and design sides of French fashion. He taught a generation of students at Studio Berçot, consulted for established luxury houses, and built an independent label that paired Parisian design with Indian hand-printing techniques.