Meet Mr Lee |
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| Written by Stephanie Mariani | |
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Stephanie Mariani had the pleasure of interviewing Lee (menswear) Designer Lukas Vincent last week. Read on for the interview.
I had the privilege of getting to know Lukas Vincent – designer for Lee Jeans in Melbourne the other day over coffee during one of Melbourne’s rare sunny autumn days. Angelucci's was an idyllic meeting point amid the keen shoppers – Chapel Street the perfect backdrop. Lukas casually walked up the restaurant wearing a charcoal hooded coat, a T. shirt with the Phantom on it and jeans – the epitome of funk. When I noticed him from afar, he looked intimidating, and egotistical. Up close, this was far from true. At 23, this Melbournite proved to be one intelligent and extremely talented individual with eye for fashion. A true realist, Lukas believes “anyone can pick up a fashion magazine and claim to be fashionable” and he was quick to add that the way people “interpret fashion” is usually why many of us end up being fashion faux pas rather than fashion wonders . The key is dressing for your own shape and being comfortable doing so. There’s no point trying to squeeze into skinny leg jeans if you’re thighs won’t let you! That being said, it’s also important to take risks with fashion. If you exude confidence with what you’re wearing, chances are, the people around you will try and emulate your look. For Lukas, the celebrities who “wear accessible street wear that we can take inspiration from and apply it in our day to day dressing” are the ones who will forever remain stylish. His favourites include the Olsen twins and Nicole Ritchie who have “great mix between street wear and high fashion.” We had finished our coffees and decided to order more – once you start talking fashion, there’s no stopping any fashionsita! Lukas mentioned he used to work directly with the Bettina Liano – renown Melbourne fashion designer – and still remembers working on L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion week last year (a catwalk show I was privileged to attend). “The fantastic thing about working with Bettina [was] the lead up to the catwalk shows – it’s all about getting the right look on camera and the final reaction from the press and buyers.” He mentioned that working with Bettina wasn’t a walk in the park, in fact he didn’t have much “creative freedom” at all. Nevertheless, the experience he gained was invaluable – he was able to run into Paris Hilton. He dressed her for the Melbourne Cup a few years ago when she came down to Australia. He said Paris’ agenda allowed her to have the lifestyle she has. Away from the cameras, Lukas said she was just another girl who loved shopping. Hence the reason for her huge following – “it’s because she is very friendly and sweet.” After saying goodbye to Bettina, Lukas found himself at Lee menswear. For Lukas, normal is non existent and the days are “pretty crazy”. He stressed that the image many people have of designers – picking colours, drawing sketches and cutting fabric is only in the movies. Instead, he said working as a designer was more like “architecture.” Detail and group work were the main ingredients to creating the clothes that are found in the stores. There are endless details that need group in put in order to develop the right garment. He also mentioned the wacky world of business that is always forgotten. At Lee, the team gets fourteen days to produce around seventy items that can make for stressful days and even longer nights. However, a love for what he does allows Lukas to see working at Lee as a conquering challenge that will surely help him the future. Lukas blushes at the though of one day having his own label. In fact, having his name on collars is the last thing on his mind. “When I’m not finding my career challenging, I’ll most definitely start my own label,” he told me grinning. When I asked him about having the right look for winter, he was keen to share his insight with AskBronny readers. Winter is all about layers and pairing basics with great shapes. He wanted Ask Bronny subscribers to keep their eyes open with what’s new in fashion but to try and add a "twist" So as the sun was beginning to disappear behind the clouds, it was time to wrap things up. I asked Lukas whether or not he lived by a philosophy. "I'm sure I'll put one together with experience". I smiled as I watched him walked down Chapel Street. |
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