A question that is often asked is ‘Can sports and fashion ever coexist?’ Of course, this goes beyond the prized occasional quarterback or football siren donning a suit for a campaign and calling it a day – the real question is whether there’s room for everyday users of the giants of the tried and true sportswear dabble. the serious prêt-à-porter (and elevated elegance) of fashion? J. Lindeberg has the answers.
With the launch of the brand’s ‘Crossover Campaign’ for the Fall/Winter 2022 season, a new beginning emerges for J.Lindeberg as it re-enters the house that was already known for its unique style of sportswear and dressing. to many athletes around the world. the style game. The mission? Fusing two distinct brand codes into versatile and extremely wearable looks that will take you from the slopes to the streets with ease. As seen on the catwalk, shown in central Stockholm to an auditorium packed with enthusiastic fashion insiders, a lineup of models got into the game with looks that celebrated a contrast of refined tailoring combined with traditional athleisure. – Think stylish blazers paired with running shorts, leather coats paired with golf pants, biker jackets and ski pants.
It’s where technical jackets, once designed to keep up with the wearer’s mobility and contain design elements to provide more wearability to the wearer, play with the use of fine fabrics such as fine Italian wool and functionality such as removable pockets. And with the industry slowly but surely returning to its savoir-faire roots, J. Lindeberg seizes the opportunity to start a conversation about user-based portability and turns the notion of staying in line on its head.
With the new collection now available for purchase with its “See Now, Buy Now” approach, V caught up with Neil Lewty to talk about the much-hyped Stockholm show before it started.
V Magazine: So where exactly is the program?
Neil Lewty: It’s just around this corner here! We’re in an underground space, like an auditorium, so it’s very hot and there’s a lot of running around, hence the sportswear I’m wearing. *laughs*
W: When did you start setting everything up?
Netherlands: We’ve been working on this concept for a while and planning exactly what we’re going to do and where we’re going to do it. It grew like a snowball in the last four days, and we really buckled up and worked [out] the emptying of models, all that of garrisons. We did not produce anything specifically for [the show]. All these clothes are available to buy [now], so everything you see is fully available. I think it’s really cool to do that and show people that this is really what we’re doing. It’s not a fabrication, it’s not smoke and mirrors, this is exactly our look: combining fashion and sport is what gives it a kind of uniqueness.
W: Totally. I like that approach because, with regular show times, you essentially show up a year early. Customers have to wait months for everything to be produced and it is time consuming to get everything out. Everyone seems so excited about the excitement surrounding the show that I can feel the city buzzing.
Netherlands: We are launching the campaign, the stores will have the whole new collection and it feels really good. In my opinion, making a show that is “see now, buy now” is the new way to do everything.
W: I agree. Why would you want to see seasonal pieces that are out of sync with what’s going on with the present?
Netherlands: That is the thing, we are always one month ahead here in Stockholm. So it starts to get cold [early] It’s September and you’re starting to think about those winter jackets.
W: This collection is great because it is the fusion of sportswear and ready-to-wear in one. Why was now the perfect time to bring these categories together into a cohesive story?
Netherlands: This is my first winter collection for J. Lindeberg. So when I came to the brand, everyone was designing different [categories] and I really wanted to open that up and design the entire collection as a unit. So I sat down with the design team who are fantastic people and very, very talented. I said, ‘okay, let’s just do a concept, which is going to override golf, skiing, racket and fashion.’ And then we’re going to work on matching color palettes, patterns and prints.’ The same color stories that you have in skiing are also happening in fashion because my ultimate goal was to cross all of these looks because now with the way we dress, we don’t specifically go out and buy things for golf.
W: That’s how it is.
Netherlands: The idea of being able to mix and match what we have in a collection, combine it from a color perspective and really include it in our patterns and our print stories really appealed to [itself to me]. This collection is like the culmination of that. You’ll see it at the show, these looks completely cross fashion and sport, and essentially, that’s what the brand is about: the connection between fashion and sport. We are a brand of contrast. We’re launching in New York and Stockholm at the same time, which is a bit mental.
W: I like that you mentioned not separating the two because everyone, in some way, wears sportswear with their day and night clothes, on a regular basis.
Netherlands: I think it’s a bit difficult to go to a brand and buy that total [sport] Look. You could go buy some leggings or whatever, and then buy yourself a great blazer. But then you think ‘I want to go to the office with those leggings’. There are some small brands that are also pushing that kind of aesthetic.
W: But what is in the middle?
Netherlands: Exactly. I think we want to present functional fashion from a new point of view. The colors and prints, and the way we build these collections together, are exciting.
W: How many looks in total will the collection include?
Netherlands: We have done 40 looks. It makes me smile when I think about it. We are coming out of our confinement and the euphoria of being able to go out and do things and get dressed again becomes more important. It’s really nice to be able to have a sporty brand, where we have these sporty colors and energy, and then combine it with fashion tailoring. That connection, that tension is really exciting for me.
W: It’s almost a reflection of where we are in life right now, which is interesting because everyone was stuck in loungewear and sportswear, just being home. And now, I don’t think anyone is willing to sacrifice their comfort anymore. Of all the looks, which is your personal favorite from the collection that stuck with you?
Netherlands: What’s really cool is that we’ve made these ski jackets and they tell a story because of the pattern they have. We have transformed the logo. [pattern] so there is a lot of movement in it. When we look at design work, we think ‘okay, how do things work on the body when you’re hitting a golf ball or skiing?’ So we’ve applied this kind of movement to the pattern which is really interesting because it gives us that energy. The ski jacket is designed so that you can get all its functionality. So you can wear it in the city like a normal jacket. It has the feel, the warmth, the technicality, but you can take that jacket and you can also hit the ski slopes in it.
Kevin Ponce it is vDigital and beauty editor.
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Credits: All images courtesy of J. Lindeberg
Source: vmagazine.com