Uniqlo Lemaire collaboration unveiled

A few months ago, Uniqlo announced that they would be collaborating with Christophe Lemaire, the designer behind his own namesake label, and also the former creative director of Hermes and Lacoste. The fashion world was abuzz, and people began planning their entire fall fashion budgets around this collection. Now, they finally know what they are getting.

At a showroom presentation Tuesday to coincide with Paris Couture Week, Christophe Lemaire himself, along with his co-creative director Sarah-Linh Tran unveiled the collaboration which includes 30 items for women and 25 for men. The collection will go on sale in October under the label Uniqlo and Lemaire.

Uniqlo and Lemaire already poised to be a success

The price point for the collection ranges from 22 dollars to 199 dollars. The collection is all about separates, with pieces including collarless long-sleeved shirts, ribbed merino wool sweaters, and oversized coats in navy, khaki, cream, and black. The inspiration behind this collection was actually loungewear.

“We referred to it as the ‘in-and-out’ project, meaning the idea of clothes that are both comfortable and elegant,” Lemaire explained to WWD. Lemaire also designed a men's jacket made from nylon, which is a departure from the brand in terms of using technical materials. Fans of the collaboration who would like to see Lemaire's aesthetic continue to be a part of Uniqlo might have plenty to look forward to.

Yukihiro Katsuta, Senior Vice President of Global Research and Design at Uniqlo, said the intention behind this collection is for it to continue beyond next fall. Uniqlo and Lemaire could become the next Gant by Michael Bastian, and it already seems like they'll have just the amount of success that collaboration did. A new era for Uniqlo has been born, one with that Lemaire touch.

Photo:WWD