The Allure of Lemaire

Come Paris Fashion Week each season there are always those brands that grab the most headlines and appear in the most trend guides, thanks to their big productions and eccentric fashion-with-a-capital-f pieces. Lemaire is not one of these brands. It’s not a French heritage brand with decades of history behind it, nor is it one to jump on trends or collaborate with underground labels beloved by subcultures, creating a momentary hype.

It is, however, the brand of choice for the most respected of buyers and editors the world over; a sign that this is a name worth knowing and wearing, and not just something that creates pieces purely as click bait. Rather, Lemaire is made up of pared-back, well-made, luxury everyday clothing designed to become a long-term fixture in your wardrobe, with founder Christophe Lemaire preferring understated tailoring and quality essentials to quick trends.

The French designer put it best in 2015 in an interview with the New York Times’ T Magazine: “If you can step away from the system of changing a collection every six months, you realise that you do not want to change your wardrobe every season, you just want to build your wardrobe. If you notice someone really elegant, you will notice that there is a kind of uniformity, a kind of stability. I think stylish people know themselves, they know how to dress, they know what suits them, their body — and what makes them feel confident. That’s not changing every six months — that’s just absurd.”

If there’s one designer that you should trust, too, it’s Lemaire. Before starting to concentrate on his eponymous line in 2014, he gained experience at Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix before taking on artistic directorships at Lacoste and, most recently, Hermès – all prominent French brands that will raise an eyebrow from even the lesser versed in high fashion. No doubt Lemaire will end up there one day too, even if he doesn’t seek it.

Lemaire menswear is new to Coggles this season. Shop the collection here >>