Stephan Schneider SS11 'Collect'

With the arrival of each season it is quite easy to be washed away by the the relentless current of fashion. The seemingly incessant release of designer look books at key points in the calendar often bewilder and unfortunately allow a few key ones to slip right by. There are even designers whose work I admire but for one reason or another they fail to make it on the pages of this blog. Until very recently, Stephan Schneider was one such designer. Thankfully, I have the third issue of b magazine to thank for rectifying this shortcoming.

Historically, why have I not followed and enthused over his every collection? The simple reason is that Stephan Schneider is a designer that goes about his business quietly. One has to look.  For the last eight years he has shunned the circus of fashion week, allowing his designs rather than the theatrics of a show to make the required statement. I know that whenever I've encountered Schneider's designs in b store or in retail outlets across the continent I have noted their good cut and use of stunning fabrics. His concern is in the detail, attractive to people who want to make less effort when dressing. He designs each fabric himself, whilst the label has its own production facilities in Belgian factories where pieces are cut by hand and time is spent on the finest finishing. The moment his latest designs began to hit the shop floor I sought out the designer to learn more about him. Below, we take a closer look at his stamp collecting inspired SS11 collection and discuss his approach to design...

SS: You graduated top of your class from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1994 and have since established a quiet following over the last sixteen years. Looking back to the very beginning, what were your inspirations, your dreams and the driving catalyst behind launching your label?

Stephan Schneider: My inspiration still comes from the same source as right from the very beginning. It's my fascination for the visual mass around us; mass consumerism, mass communication, mass entertainment. As a fashion designer, I should aim for individuality and uniqueness but at the same time I am surrounded by mass consumption. Surrounded by the same Louis Vuitton campaigns and Celine Dion songs all over the world's shopping centres. I want to communicate my collection and my products in a different way. The actual selling of a garment is to me the final step of the design process. So, right from the very beginning I wanted to have my own store here in Antwerp and wished to experience and find out for myself who the real customer is. The selling period to buyers in the showroom in Paris does not reflect the real customer. I guess it was this attention to and desire for reality which was and still continue to be, the catalyst for my work.

SS: Aside from it being your name, what does Stephan Schneider mean to you?

Stephan Schneider: I do not think of Stephan Schneider as a brand. Luckily I am one of the few independent designers who earn their money by selling garments. I don't need to sell cosmetics, licensed accessories bearing my name or seek any consultancy work from big companies. I see myself as a garment creator, not a brand.

SS: How has your approach to or view of fashion shifted during the life of the label?

Stephan Schneider: When I started the business with my graduation collection, it was my dream to have my own store, a catwalk show in Paris, a company with employees in order not to have to pattern cut by myself any more. My dreams were to become a big company one day. Over the years, I have realised that it is a strength to stay concentrated and efficient. To produce in the country you live so that you are able to deliver exactly the product you designed. I sometimes compare a fashion house with a restaurant: There is no haute cuisines chain in the world as the chef has to cook in his own kitchen. To me fashion should be like this. At the end of the 90s fashion became synonymous with big stock market companies hiring designers just to leave a strong impression in the media through the use of a very strong and aggressive way of design language. Fashion was accurately planned by marketing managers. Today, I feel that it is my strength and even my luxury to be able to draw the patterns!

SS: You have quietly and assuredly built up a selection of stockists and buyers. Do you think there is a particular Stephan Schneider man? If so, do you think about them when you design each collection?

Stephan Schneider: I think the Stephan Schneider man is not a fashion follower or even a magazine reader. He wants to discover clothes by himself. Like reading a book and opting not to watch the movie version of it. Therefore, when I design I always take care to leave enough space for the personality of the wearer to find its place in the garment.

SS: In the recent issue of b magazine you summed up your attitude on the theatrics of fashion shows with and its incompatibility with your design aesthetic with; "buyers know the collection, they need to see it closely, they want to see the garments, feel the fabrics." Without having the ability to feel the fabrics and to inspect the cuts in person, could you describe the key features of Collect.

Stephan Schneider: For SS11, I was inspired by the act of collecting stamps. My father was a dedicated collector and I became fascinated by his passion. Soon the act of collection will become a very unusual habit. It takes too much time. You browse quickly on the net from side to side. Therefore you have to take your time to watch the SS pictures on my side, then you will be surprised.

SS: What was the starting point for the collection and how did it evolve in to the collection we see today?

Stephan Schneider: In every collection I want to challenge myself to work with a material or garment that I've never worked with before. For SS11, it was ultra light and delicate viscose fabrics. I treated them with a special dying technique to make them as soft as possible. Both relaxed and casual at the same time. For the construction of the garments I wanted them to be as simple and effortless as possible, yet sophisticated, so the facing of the jackets and shirts functioned as an extra closure which gave the impression of wearing two garments at the same time.

SS: With your small design team, I was surprised to learn that you design and produce each fabric yourself. What are you particularly proud of for SS11?

Stephan Schneider: The fabric design is a way to keep the design language very personal and intimate. For SS11, the outline block of stamps was used as a polka dot pattern which looked amazing. I also love the Carre scarf pattern of my fathers stamp collection.

SS: With each collection, there is a sense that you offer a contemporary reinterpretation of classics. There is a sense of tradition. With this in mind, is there a moment in or era of style that you are particularly drawn to?

Stephan Schneider: I never draw my inspiration from history books or future forecasts. I am fascinated by every day pop, youth culture that was mostly expressed in the 80s. Bands like ABC or Les Rita Misouko introduced fashion to me.

SS: Your design aesthetic is predominantly focused on the detail. What are the details that you wish more men gave more thought to?

Stephan Schneider: Please do not tumble dry all that you wear.

SS: What excites you about the future of menswear?

Stephan Schneider: Male customers are extremely loyal. They examine my garments and enjoy discovering each detail for themselves. I personally enjoy it if my work is approached with an element of humour, curiosity and vanity. I feel that these basic human aspects are the future of menswear whereas womenswear will always have to reflect power and sex.

SS: Finally, what's next for Stephan Schneider

Stephan Schneider: I am not interested in new projects, not even in changes. My definition of quality is continuation with passion. So, next is the same as yesterday.

Lookbook credits

Photography by Stephan Heinrichs. 

Models from Tomorrow is another day.

Christophe Lemaire AW11

The name Christophe Lemaire has been bouncing around my head causing excitement with every ricochet for some time now. With each passing season, the seasoned design talent honours a subtle and quiet elegance by creating a seemingly timeless collection of luxuriously simple basics. Heavy figures, with supple and full outlines, are worked in fluid fabrics that fall in an effortless manner and wrap the body without ever concealing it. Lemaire creates an essential wardrobe by putting together the clean and calm lines of western wardrobe with the sophisticated ease and generosity of volumes of traditional eastern garments. It is this very wardrobe that I long to have.

After honing his skills with Yves Saint Laurent and Thierry Mugler, as well as Christian Lacroix and Jean Patou, Lemaire launched his own label in 1991. He has since restored Lacoste's iconic image whilst being its artistic director from 2000 to 2010. Twenty years since starting his own label and the designer has remained relatively unknown. One gets the feeling that this is just how he prefers it. Lemaire is a designer far more interested in style than fashion, the trends and fanfare of fashion are far less important to him than the simple quality of his creations. However, AW11 is a significant season for the design talent. Last month saw the unveiling of his highly anticipated Hermes debut. Whilst filling the rather large shoes of Jean Paul Gaultier with widespread acclaim, Lemaire continued the quiet evolution of his own label.

The AW11 collection takes its inspiration from Serguei Parajanvov, Georgian film director and visual artist known for living elsewhere, in dreams made of myths and icons including David Byrne, Nicolas de Staël and John Luly where a love for beauty and for light in its uncertainty of location and time blend with the rich colours of his images. To mark this significant season, we were fortunate enough to ask the designer about the maturity of his label and his hopes for the future whilst taking a closer look at his latest creations...

SS:What were your inspirations, your dreams and the driving catalyst behind launching your own label? Both in 1991 and then your return to it in 2007.

Christophe Lemaire: From the very beginning to this point, I have always been driven by the same idea: trying to create in my clothes the perfect synthesis between simplicity and quality. This idea has just grown up with maturity.

SS: How has the label and your approach to it evolved over the years?

Christophe Lemaire: I strive to improve the same pieces season after season. We really push the idea that once you like a garment you want to wear it all the time . We give that possibility by offering a perfect basic in a wide range of fabrics.

SS: What were the first and last item you remember designing?

Christophe Lemaire: Uniforms!

SS:Your collections are always a wonderful blend of references. What was your initial starting point for AW11?

Christophe Lemaire: I like the idea of synthesis as well as blurring the frontiers between genres. I don’t want the references to be too obvious.

SS:How did the varied figures of Sergui Parajanov, Nicolas de Stael, John Lury and David Byrne influence your designs?

Christophe Lemaire: Serguei Parajanvov’s movies for textures and colors that mix with a very poetic and refined sensitivity. David Byrne for the effortless sharp sense of style. Nicolas de Staël for the beautiful obviousness of a black shirt and a black pleated pants. John Lury for the sophisticated ease.

SS: As a designer, would you agree that you are more interested in style than fashion. How would you describe your approach to design?

Christophe Lemaire: Observing our everyday gestures, environment, and responding to it.

SS: Your designs continually evolve to push a form of luxury fashion to new limits. Proportion, silhouette, cut, fabric and method are all central components. What is luxury to you?

Christophe Lemaire: Time.

SS: There is a definite sense of timesless-ness to your designs. Withe each collection you create an era defying wardrobe consisting of exacting basic pieces whilst experimenting with shape, cut and form. If you could go back in time and experience one moment or era of fashion, what would it be?

Christophe Lemaire: The 20’s were a fantastic innovative era, liberating the body and mind, and radically switching from the western tradition of corset to the Asian tradition of tunic and kimono, or the ancient Greece art of draping: all about shoulder and hips.

SS: The idea of a personal uniform is something that we've been mulling over since before we even started the blog. The concept of uniform is certainly an important facet of your work - do you have a personal uniform?

Christophe Lemaire: Three-pleated pants, an officer collar shirt and a double-breasted jacket as easy to wear as a waistcoat, all in the same fabric. Wool flannel for winter, linen and cotton for summer.

SS: How has the oft cited Walter Albini phrase, 'Sometimes to dress is to leave a little', influenced you as a designer?

Christophe Lemaire: To dress is to say what you would like to be, how you see yourself. There is something very playful about it, you need to dream. It is actually something quite deep.

SS: Finally, how do you see Christopher Lemaire, the brand, developing over the next few seasons, as you simultaneously take on the creative director role for Hermes?

Christophe Lemaire: We want to develop Christophe Lemaire as a lifestyle brand and edit complementary objects to the collection. Also, the Paris shop should be a unique place where people can come for advise and find a piece that will respect their individuality. Of course, collections should always improve.

All images courtesy of Christophe Lemaire and taken by Axel Jansen

Sebastian Tarek Studio Visit

Sebastian Tarek at work in his studio

Earlier today, we took a closer look at Sebastian Tarek's debut collection of beautiful, bespoke and handmade men’s shoes. We chatted to the craftsman about his work, the evolution of the label and heard about his experiences at Menswear Day. Here, we continue the discussion and learn more about his trade before offering a serving of studio porn...

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SS: I'm instantly struck by the sheer number of rasps, files and hammers. Is it difficult sourcing your tools?

Sebastien Tarek: Really hard. Most of the tools on the bench is long secondhand. The rasps are all new. However, there is a particular rasp which I use more than any other which I went to reorder recently only to find that the the company no longer makes it. This happens all the time. It is my excuse why I go to Spitalfields every Thursday, the hope that I might find old tools, more often than not I find an old jacket but I always keep my eye out for tools. Some of the tools, you'll have for life. When it comes to my pattern hammer I just hope that I never have to replace it. There's a story about my heel hammer actually. My Father came over from Oz and had a few appointments in Paris, one of which was with the Master Bootmaker at Hermes. My Father told him about me and my need for tools and as he was soon to retire he amazingly gave him his heel hammer which clearly he had used for well over fifty years. From one old craftsmen to a newer one. These tools are built to last.

SS: How has the industry changed over the years?

Sebastian Tarek: There has been a recent backlash against the over saturation of the high street and I hope that it can help to sustain these dying crafts. Bespoke shoemaking is a dying craft. The average age in this industry is stratospheric, around sixty sixty years old. In the 1970s, the West End Master Boot makers Association had something like twenty six menders, now there are only four. Hopefully there can be a turnaround. In this time frame, it has gone from being expensive to being truly luxurious in price which makes it difficult to contemporise the market. I lament the fact that very few of my friends own a pair of my shoes but I cannot make them any cheaper. In terms of materials, equipment and just the labour involved.

SS: I appreciate that it varies greatly depending upon the style and finish but how long does it take on average?

Sebastian Tarek: Generally speaking a full week of man hours and that is devoted man hours. There is of course fittings, drying times, if the pair has hand stitched uppers then that takes a full day in itself. I quote three to six months. It is a laborious process but it is such an experiential retail opportunity, the fact that you get a beautiful pair of shoes that you know you've had a direct involvement with and will fit you in a way that you've not experienced before. You have a relationship with this item before you even have them on your feet.

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It was an absolute pleasure spending an hour with Sebastian Tarek. In the true spirit of his trade, he worked away on his latest design, trimming leather and wielding his pattern hammer as we talked. As he did so, I duly snapped away and explored his studio...

Sebastian Tarek at work and the finished product.

Sebastian Tarek Shoe Maker

This season saw the debut collection of Sebastian Tarek’s beautiful, bespoke and handmade men’s shoes. It was in the eclectic surroundings of the NEWGEN MEN and Fashion East Installations that I first caught glimpse of this carefully crafted designs. Alongside the latest designs from exciting, emerging design talent including Agi & Sam, Astrid Andersen, Baartmans & Siegel, Matthew Miller and William Richard Green to name but a few, Tarek's shoes placed on a simple workbench really captured my imagination> I was keen to learn more.

A closer look at Sebastian Tarek's display on Menswear Day.

Tarek is an Australian born shoemaker based in East London who has worked for London’s finest shoemakers since 2003 – where he has spent years refining his skills of fit, and creating work of the highest standards to satisfy the clientele of Savile Row and beyond. Cleverley’s (Royal Arcade, Piccadilly) and James Taylor & Son (Marylebone), for whom he still works, are two of the last remaining members of the West End Master Boot Makers society and have been making shoes for the Royal Court since the nineteenth Century. For his eponymous debut collection, Tarek took up the challenge of fusing his traditional skills as a maker of a timeless artisanal product with a more contemporary and relevant aesthetic. The result is a collection that is an exploration within the bespoke market. An idea conceived and developed with his private clients in mind, a marriage of personalised service, comfort and luxury with a more relaxed and informal feeling.

Now that the dust has begun to settle on Menswear Day, I could not resist visiting the shoemaker at his East London workshop. Over the course of my lunch hour, we discussed the release of Port magazine, the business of fashion and the beauty of bespoke shoes...

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SS: What attracted you to the wonderful world of shoe making?

Sebastien Tarek: The truth is, I was bombing out of high school and I was over here on a rugby tour and I watched the story of Hans Christian Anderson and fell in love with this way of life. To start with, I went to evening classes for two years during the twilight years High School. It was during the first year of these studies, that my Polish grandmother informed me, in her thickest accent that my great, great grandfather would be so proud of what I was doing. Why was that I asked? Was he fond of shoes. "No he was a shoemaker you idiot!' It turns out he was eighteenth generation. Shoemaking, apparently dates back in my family to making shoes by appointment only to the Tsar of Russia at some stage.  I had no idea when I was growing up! From my perspective there didn't seem to be such an inclination in my family, I come from a family of fashion editors, both my Parents were at some stage and neither were crafty in any way.

 

SS: From this revelation, did you know that you wanted to make bespoke men's shoes?
Sebastien Tarek: No it was a total evolution. I started out making women's footwear, fashion shoes and even worked on show shows for a while in Australia. It was only when I returned here, which at the time was only meant to be a short stay, that I began working for a woman called Georgina Goodman making couture shoes and this introduced me to the West End Masters Bootmakers Association. It then evolved from there. From a creative point of view, I've always been driven by process and I became absorbed in the men's bespoke process. Every shoemaker makes shoes in a different way, there is always so much to learn.

SS: What was the catalyst for the collection? Has this been on the cards for some time?

Sebastian Tarek: It has. There are aspects of it that I've been on working for time, for example one or two lasts, but there are also newer elements as well. The catalyst were actually the pair of shoes that are in that bag. I made something for myself, inverted burnished leather and I had a client come in, described the idea and then made them for him.The whole collection developed from there.

SS: What was your initial inspiration?
Sebastian Tarek: The thing that I kept on going back to when I was designing this collection was your favourite pair of jeans. You want them to fit fantastically but you also want them to show signs of the journey you've had together. You might want some that are box fresh and others that tell a story. I wanted to create a body of work that was based around fit and the notion that they could show the signs of love, wear and age. That they could look relaxed quickly. A lot of people consider bespoke shoes to be stuffy and I wanted to step away from this idea.

SS: Was it difficult balancing this collection with your other projects? Were you working around the clock?

Shoemakers don't really retire. If they do, they tend to do shortly afterwards. They usually die in the chair whilst they are working. In order to make a living from it, you really do have to work hard and I've grown accustomed to working hard all of the time. I had a day off last Sunday but before that, I cannot remember the last free day I had. Last week I went back to college as well, I teach at the Royal College of Art and I needed a day to prepare for that. I like being busy.

SS: How would you like to see Sebastian Tarek, the brand, evolve?
Sebastian Tarek: It was only when I became with Fashion East that I began to think about this very question. I want the brand to evolve but in an organic way. It might be a cliche statement but that is how I see it.

SS: For me, the Installations are always a highlight of Menswear Day. They really demonstrate the diversity of menswear design talent that exists in the capital...

Sebastian Tarek: Initially they didn't have space for me but I think that it was this desire for a representational presentation that saw me take part. It was a great experience.

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Clients are individually measured and fitted for their own personal set of wooden lasts. The range is based loosely on classic styles, with specific detailing updated and refined to fit his relaxed aesthetic. Silhouettes are pushed into stronger, more architectural forms and have a modern look. Anachronistic extras are lost and a purity of form, and the importance of provenance is rediscovered. Tarek uses two of the oldest pittards still working, and the soles and heels of the shoes are all hand made from leathers produced by the last remaining Oak bark tanner left in Britain. Hand stitching details, and laces are all exclusively made from Irish linen thread. The distinctive finish of the shoes is a result of a specific burnishing technique traditionally only used for cavalry boot legs. Elements such as the facings of styles such as Adelaide’s, Derby’s, and Saddle shoes are applied in new surprising contexts. Without further ado, let's take a closer look at the collection...

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Whilst being talked through his designs in his Sunbury Workshop, I could not help but take a few photos as the shoemaker wielded his pattern hammer. However, I feel that they deserve a post of their own so, come back after lunch and we can all watch a true craftsman at work...

Sebastian Tarek in his East London Studio.

James Small AW11 Marching Band

As the schedule at Menswear Day becomes ever more tightly packed with each passing season, competition for a showing space is fast becoming a struggle. James Small narrowly missed out on an on schedule slot but thankfully the show did indeed go albeit without me. In a cramped afternoon schedule that saw me bounce from James Long to E. Tautz to the NEWGEN MEN and Fashion East Installations to Lou Dalton without time to pee. Fortunately, London menswear is more than just one hectic day and think week I was afforded the opportunity to be talked through Small's third collection, Marching Band.

Ever since launching his eponymous label for AW10, James Small has quietly and assuredly introduced his talent to the capital's menswear scene. It is here though, with Marching Band that sees the design talent take a huge strive forward. Taking its inspiration from the ragamuffin regiments  the American Civil War, Small has created a complete wardrobe of military influenced pieces for the man of today. Below we talk to the man himself and learn about the origins of the label, the trials and tribulations of being a designer and take a closer look at the fabric rich collection.

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SS: What were your inspirations, your dreams and the driving catalyst behind launching your own label?

James Small: There was a time when I loved working for other people. I can remember that when I was working with Kim (Jones) I declared that I would never want to do it on my own, it felt like it would be too much hassle and stress. However, I left a job that I wasn't particular happy in and couldn't quite find anything quite right for me. Obviously at that time it wasn't the best of economic times so it was tough. Bryan McMahon kept on telling me to do my own thing and I suddenly decided to give it a go. With a help of a few friends, I was able to create my collection and then with the help of Lulu Kennedy I managed to show it on schedule. In a sense, it all happened so quickly and before I knew it, I was doing it.

SS: How have the first twelve months of James Small, the brand, been?

James Small: It is stressful and a learning experience but it is great. I had a game plan and I'm sticking to it. So this season, the goal was to work on production and build on stockists and we've done this.

SS: Now, on to Marching Band. You were influenced by the American Civil War but what was your starting point?

James Small: The initial inspiration came from this really great book that I picked up in Foyles that details reenactments of the Us Civil War. In addition to the imagery, there are some great quotes in the front of it and there was one phrase in particular that captured my imagination, "regiments took on a ragamuffin appearance". I love the idea of them wearing and modifying their civilian clothes for war, for example jackets with plaid shirting fabric stitched on to the elbows. However, as much as I love research and I particularly enjoyed it this season, the key is not to take it too literally, you can't be caught up in it

SS: The collection certainly doesn't feel like fancy dress...

James Small: Exactly. When people hear about the influence of the Civil War, they tend to expect more obvious references within the collection but I didn't want it to feel like costume. There are a couple of pieces in the collection that are directly related to the period, for example the Civil War Bolero, the Cavalry jacket and the Civil War trouser that are just great and haven't been exaggerated at all. However, most of it is just influenced by this ragamuffin mood.

SS: I was instantly struck by the variety of fabrics used within the collection. It has everything from camo to florals to jersey to cord to Harris Tweed...

James Small: The collection uses so many different fabrics, there's even a corduroy cape which I've never seen before. When you are a smaller designer, you can have that bit more luxury in working in fabrics for particular garments and experimenting that bit more. It can be a lot of fun. We used camo and floral in the SS11 film and the reaction to it was great so and it made me a little braver so I wanted to do it again. I love the camo print, we made a pair of shorts for last season and had some left over and I wanted a pair of trousers.

SS: In terms of your design method, do you begin with the fabrics and work from there?

James Small: I consider the fabrics quite late if I'm often. It always begins with sketching and drawing and evolves from there. I'm always doodling. Also, I collect quite a lot of military wear and there might be a particular detail on a jacket that I want to explore. I do enjoy sourcing fabrics but most of the time I have everything worked up in toile form before I start considering them. I do love going in to places on Berwick street for shirting and to Cloth House to see all of them lined up.

SS: You mentioned collecting military garments. How does your collection influence your design?

James Small: I never like to imitate and any influence is much more subtle. It could be a particular detail, for example a hood or in the case of a number of the jackets for this season, a shin guard strap and this is taken from oversized military stuff I've found.

SS: Do you design with a particular man in mind?

James Small: The collection really is a reflection of my wardrobe and my friends wardrobes. I strive to create a rounded wardrobe in each collection. I do love proper trousers, two pleats down the front, a cinch back, trousers that you can wear with braces with a notch in the back and I just love the sailor pant. This season I have used Harris Tweed for three pairs. They are really easy to wear, two buttons down the front and you're away.

SS: Finally, how do you see James Small, the brand, developing over the next few seasons?

James Small: I would love to show on schedule. It is a lovely thing to do, I enjoy the instant response and the fact that people who might not ordinarily see have the the opportunity to do so. It is a treat at the end of the season really. Looking forward, I want to develop the brand, I want to see the collection in department stores and I want the collection itself to grow.

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Now, both the look book and above interview demonstrate James Small's eye for detail and love of fabric but as I spoke through the collection with the designer, I could not help but take a few close up shots...

A selection of close up detail shots.

As well as the admiring glances from the press, you'll be pleased to hear that the collection has led to a few buyers reaching for their cheque books. So the designs will be available next season.