'Léo Paris' is the name of an interesting womenswear
label obviously based in the Ville Lumière founded by
young designers Matthias Medaer and Leonneke Derksen,
both graduates of Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts,
one of Europe's leading fashion insitutions. Born in the
Netherlands, Leonneke is the brains of the label who
went to New York to work for Sea-NY before moving to
Paris where she toiled for Balenciaga, Cacharel and
Carven before joining forces with Medaer
label obviously based in the Ville Lumière founded by
young designers Matthias Medaer and Leonneke Derksen,
both graduates of Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts,
one of Europe's leading fashion insitutions. Born in the
Netherlands, Leonneke is the brains of the label who
went to New York to work for Sea-NY before moving to
Paris where she toiled for Balenciaga, Cacharel and
Carven before joining forces with Medaer
in their own Léo Paris.
The label's fourth collection for fall-winter 2014-15 started
with the idea of going back to Leonneke's roots who envi-
sioned a quintessential Dutch winter landscape through
rusty tones, leafless trees and icy patches on the road.
”Inspired by old Dutch primitive paintings we searched for
Van Gogh landscapes and scenes of Vermeer's portraits
to find a small village right outside Paris, called Chevreuse,
that struck us as an ancient Middle Ages town (...) The
first input for the clothes were typical Dutch embroidered
canvasses that my family resourced at flea markets that
are worked into sweaters” Leonneke declares adding that
she was also inspired by the decor of the 'True Detective'
tv drama series and by the images of twenty-something
Chicagoan surreal photographer Kyle Thompson whose
work is mainly composed of self portraits, often taking
place in empty forests or abandoned buildings.
The elegantly bucolic/melancholic mood of both the
collection's lookbook (titled 'From the dusty sun') and the
campaign - shot by renowned French-Belgian photographer
duo Hannah and Joel - recaptures a bygone era free of the
hurly-burly of modern society that emphasizes the Parisian
label's polished silhouettes with absorbing printed shirts
and sweatshirts, covetable jackets, knits and skater skirts.
Could winter look more attractive?
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| > all images © by Hannah and Joel < |