Medieval dressing and references are currently having a moment, but Marie Lueder has always had a place for that. And so this season she moved away from her armor and knight-inspired designs—and that’s for a reason.
“The collection is definitely influenced by my own search for confidence this past year,” the London-based German designer said backstage. “I spent a lot of time in Marseille and tried to find a bit more humor and extroversion within myself—less cocooning and hiding and amoring but going out more and also adopting a new body posture.”
This new extroversion can be seen in bold elements of fake fur, created in collaboration with Italian fabric maker Pointex from wood pulp. It’s deployed as trims on hoods and hats, as a bag, and as a full-length coat. More boldness came via statement tops featuring not only the Lueder logo but also arguable statements such as “Men are so BACK.” The designer mentioned watching Luchino Visconti’s Ludwig, a biographical drama from 1973 about King Ludwig II of Bavaria, noting in particular Ludwig’s metrosexuality and campiness. This might have found its clearest expression in the fierce walk of David Varhegyi, who was dressed in a strap top, “peeled” zip denim, an “Amateur” reading belt, and 3D-printed poulaines.
Lueder’s classic hooded sweaters, double-zip jackets with rib-knit inserts, and loose-fit jeans and sweatpants with sculpted seams were developed in new fabrics (like velvet), prints, and shapes. On a field trip that the designer took with the Fashion Council Germany last year to a castle, she saw a picture of a woman who wore a dress that looked exactly like the wall carpet behind her, hence sort of camouflaging into the interior. The image was reflected in the show’s carpet, adorned with black-and-white pictures of the Lueder community. The set was completed with CGI curtains, three chandeliers, and some live-operated drones. “I call this ‘friendly stalking,’” the designer said. “There are a lot of creepy things happening in the world. Drones are used to film shows and take photos, but their sound is totally unsettling and creepy, and I wanted to pick up on this feeling somehow.”
This is typical for Lueder, skilfully melding the past—19th-century tapestries and castles—with the future, in the form of drones, CGI elements, and some very advanced nail and teeth art.
