Fashion Blogs

Designer and high street collaborations have reached such a peak that the arrival of a new one often ceases to create much interest now. A mutually beneficial enterprise in branding giving a short lived sales high, they are the one hit wonders of the fashion world.

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Uniqlo – the Japanese basics conglomerate which has trounced over the niche once held by the Gap – has taken more cautious steps into this arena, and often picked more interesting, off-piste collaborators into its fold. So far it has teamed up with Jil Sander, Ines de la Fressangeand last year launched a collection with the insider Parisian labelLemaire – run by Christophe Lemaire and his partner (in life and work) Sara-Linh Tran.

This autumn, it takes this relationship a step further, as Lemaire – sans Sarah-Linh but with a hand-picked design team of 10 (“I don’t believe in armies” he says, “having the right people doing the right thing, must be more efficient”) – has presented his first collection as artistic director for a new permanent line – Uniqlo U.

The 37-year-old designer, began working as an assistant for Thierry Mugler at aged 19, as a way to financially support his literature studies. He then went on to work for Christian Lacroix – an interesting paradox considering that pared-back design and a bent towards minimalism is his current schtick.

Lemaire speaks fondly of his time working for Lacroix, though. “Working for him everyday and listening to his references and his amazing sense of colours and textures… I learnt so much from him. Yes it’s a lot more baroque and costume than my own [work] but he was the first person to give me confidence. He was a mentor whom encouraged me.”

Lemaire’s work for his own label can loosely be described as stylised minimalism. His are clothes with creative design touches and flourishes, but very much aimed at the practicalities of life. It is classic but with a very Parisian twist. He says his “obsession is to find the balance between something that you need and something that you want. Something that integrates functionality, comfort, ease and also desire. Something that’s exciting with taste and quality and refinement, and if possible, a little poetry.”

“That’s the goal,” he laughs. “It’s not easy to achieve but I’m interested in trying to bring quality in everyday life.” That attitude makes the Uniqlo appointment seem especially sage. His concept for Uniqlo U is 'elevated basics.’ The trick he says to producing these at a high street price level is a way of “bringing richness to the material without necessarily being expensive. It’s very much the attention you give to the development of the clothes that makes a difference. And then of course the cut, because to make something simple that looks stylish needs an extreme attention to cut. Every step is important.”

What makes a perfect T shirt? “The certain quality of jersey and weight. The volume, the proportion. Every little thing counts.” He is a stickler for detail, but also reality. “It’s about the people who wear it,” he says of his clothes.

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