BoF Daily Newsletter: BoF Exclusive | Getting to know Christophe Lemaire, the new Artistic Director of Hermès |  |
Posted: 03 Jun 2010 02:19 PM PDT  Christophe Lemaire | Photo: Lydia Gorges PARIS, France — Almost 20 years since starting his own label, the designer Christophe Lemaire is still relatively unknown; embracing a level of anonymity, he says, is key to his brand. Building his experience alongside Christian Lacroix and Jean Patou as well as Yves Saint Laurent and Thierry Mugler, Lemaire launched his own brand in 1991, the success of which brought the designer to melting point — Lemaire admits he was close to a breakdown. "I was always a bit on the side of the fashion circus," he says. "When I used to have my own fashion shows at the end of the 90s, now that I look at it, I realise they weren't really mature enough." Taking a break from his label in 2003, Lemaire focused on his role as artistic director at Lacoste. Returning in 2007, today he is self-assured, more confident and more defiant than he used to be. "It was a positive crisis because it was like stepping back and asking myself real questions about my motivations. I have come back much clearer in what I want to say." "I was never really attracted to the star system and the whole media-obsessed fashion of the 80s. I really think it was something that preserved fashion more than it served it," he reflects. Fingering his "bible" — his copy of Cheap Chic Update: the 1970s fashion guidebook he discovered after meeting its editor, Carol Troy, at a dinner in late-1980s New York – he confesses his design philosophy is in stark contrast to his beginnings. "Fashion for me is less of this runway culture, when I am designing, the goal is the person who will wear it. I was always more interested in creating refined and creative, wearable fashion than just images." Modern, workingwomen from the actor Lauren Hutton to the photographer Ewa Rudling are immortalised on the pages of Cheap Chic Update, dissecting personal style and discussing the importance of a good white T-shirt over fad clothing — central to Lemaire's sartorial philosophy. Growing up, the young Lemaire was interested in the quality of life objects could bring and was first attracted by industrial design. "For me, style, fashion and clothes were part of a more global interest in the stuff that surrounds us. Now I have rediscovered why I wanted to make fashion and I'm extremely clear about what I want to do." L emaire talks of his clothes in a way that relates them to a kind of costume or uniform – costume to be worn for the theatre of life – it is paramount that his collections work in the everyday. "I can only do 50% of the job," he smiles. "It's commonsense that style is very much linked to the person who wears the clothes. I never believed that fashion could be some style that you could buy. I can only try being as precise as possible in the way that I make clothes that will underline a personality." "When you have beautiful fabric and you reduce it to the maximum essential design — you can mix it and play with it and then you can tell your own story. I don't believe the designer can tell you which story you can tell." Dal Chodha is the Editor of b Store London's bi-annual publication, b Magazine and contributes to global trends magazine WeAr. This article is an excerpt from the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of b Magazine. The full interview can be read here. |
Posted: 03 Jun 2010 04:05 AM PDT  Emilio Pucci in his workshop, 1950s | Source: Life in Italy “Under the hand of designer Peter Dundas, the six-decade-old fashion house is reinventing itself as an It brand. In the process, it is shifting its emphasis from kaleidoscopic cruisewear to cocktail dresses and sweeping gowns.” Oscar de la Renta continues expansion (Reuters) “‘We continue to offer, and continue to sell, $20,000-plus off-the-rack women’s evening gowns… On the other hand… a blouse that might have sold for $1,000 three years ago may now sell for $500.’” Luxury sector to see niche deals (Reuters) “The next aspiring Marc Jacobs or Stella McCartney may find it harder to get financial backing as luxury dealmakers target well-established brands for growth and top design houses begin paring smaller assets.” Online, luxury strong, but apparel off (Reuters) “Luxury items, jewelry and products sold online were the fastest-growing U.S. sales categories in the retail sector in May, but weakness in apparel and electronics suggest consumers may still be wary in their spending.” CSM’s Graduate Show: The Clothes, The Designers, The Stars (Fashionista) “London's Central St. Martins College of Art served up 40 of its most promising talents to industry recruiters… With inflating Helmut Newton inspired pieces and a show-closing collection modeled on stilts, this was undoubtedly one for the books.” |
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