PARIS — Fashion school Studio Berçot, whose alumni include designers Isabel Marant, Martine Sitbon, Vanessa Seward, Roland Mouret and Vincent Darré, has shut its doors after financial difficulties made maintaining the college unviable, director Marie Rucki confirmed to WWD.

Student numbers had dwindled lately, said Rucki, exacerbated by the pandemic making it difficult for international students to hitch the college, which was independently run. “Despite extremely good results, operating costs had just turn out to be too expensive, given the number of scholars,” Rucki said. “It’s an incredible shame for the occupation.”

The Studio Berçot, known for pushing students to cultivate a person approach to design, was opened as Cours Berçot by Suzanne Berçot in 1954 and had been run by Rucki since 1970. In addition to fashion designers, well-known stylists and editors including Camille Bidault-Waddington and Anne-Sophie Thomas also count amongst former students.

Reacting to a post on Instagram in regards to the school’s closure, Martin Sitbon wrote, “Very sad to assume the Studio Berçot disappearing…unimaginable to assume even.” She continued, “My youth, where I discovered myself due to Marie Rucki.”

In recent times student intake had been around 20 a yr. The varsity employed six staff on a everlasting basis and a roster of visiting teachers in around 6,000 square feet of premises in Paris’ tenth arrondissement.

It offered a three-year study program in fashion design and styling, followed by a yr’s internship for its students. Students who accomplished the course this yr have already reportedly secured placements at major fashion houses including Chanel and Off-White, while first-year students who desired to accomplish that have received help to transfer to alternative schools, Rucki said.