As the first rays of sunshine kissed the dewy streets of Paris in June, the presentation of LEMAIRE’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection made an unforgettable statement. Designers Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran drew upon the undeniably changing climate as their muse, threading the narratives of summer squalls and global warming into the fabric of their work.
Rising temperatures and increased rainfall aren’t merely weather patterns to the seasoned designers but signifiers of a paradigm shift in fashion itself. Lemaire confessed the designers’ empathetic alignment with the world’s evolving climate, which in turn cultivated a newfound appreciation for lightweight materials and protective layers against unexpected showers. The runway became a poetic tableau, with models sauntering on rain-kissed pavements to the mournful melody of a saxophone, their apparel in harmonic unison with the surroundings.
If layering up in the summer seems counter-intuitive, Tran nudges our perspective eastwards, highlighting the sartorial wisdom of Southeast Asia. By mirroring their ability to balance functionality and comfort, LEMAIRE‘s earthy tones and expert layering emerge as an elegant response to both the sun’s fierce glare and sudden downpours.
The designer duo’s quest for “coherence within diversity” found concrete expression in the collection’s vast array of ensembles. Each piece, styled as distinct “characters,” offered a delightful medley of options for the contemporary wearer. Among the assortment, one could find everything from airy hooded raincoats and blousons with wide ribbed collars to versatile long shirts, adaptable as tunics, dresses, or outer layers.
In a delicate reinvention of their unlined tailoring tradition, Lemaire and Tran included more technical items, blending aesthetics with practicality. Balloon-shaped trousers, longline proportions, sneakers, and water-repellent lightweight outerwear became the embodiments of this subtle shift, driven more by necessity than fashion trends.
“[The collection] is like our life, we gather pieces [one] after the other,” Tran mused, highlighting the evolution of their work. The Spring/Summer 2024 collection is not just a showcase of their talent but a testament to the designers’ vision of fashion as a companion through time, a friend that adapts and morphs according to our changing world. LEMAIRE’s latest creation is a love letter to adaptability, urging us to embrace the future with open minds and wardrobes.
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