The Tamesis
Ten hours later, the apocalyptic carnival atmosphere continued at LN-CC in Dalston, east London. The 15-year-old fashion concept store strongly supports Europe’s emerging designer community and cultivates a community spanning fashion, music and culture – the store party “l8te” has become a real Friday night appointment for locals, with collaborations with brands such as Nike and Yohji Yamamoto. (In addition to the rave, I attended an immersive yoga class for the ages to celebrate the launch of the Skin Series and Eden Power Corp’s therapeutic textile activewear.) Here, Leuder celebrated her fall collection and her newly released LN-CC capsule collaboration. In the glowing red basement, the walls are usually lined with a carefully curated selection of emerging and established designers, from Chopova Lowena to The Row.
“Working with Marie and Leuder was a natural choice for me,” said Reece Crisp, LN-CC’s buying and creative director. “Mary and her team communicate through their identity. That’s what I look for in designers and brands, especially in times like now when the market is changing so fast. Having a clear vision and identity is key and we’re here for it. Tonight was all about showing that.”
The collaboration, which the designer said was a natural fit, includes a shirred football jersey in the Lueder brand’s signature style. “It all started when I was talking to Reece at the BFC showroom in Paris in September,” says Lueder. “I love watching football as a social study, and Reece is a football fan. He saw the reimagined football tops and dresses we showed at Berlin Fashion Week and asked if we could collaborate on an exclusive launch and presentation. It was a perfect match as Lueder loves working with musicians and curating nights. LN-CC is an iconic venue.”
“We’re proud to be as forward-thinking now as we were in 2010 – albeit in a different form – with our namesake ‘Late Night Chameleon’ cafe,” Crisp added. “When we redesigned the space, our vision was to bring the worlds of retail and nightlife together to provide a space that our partners believe in. As we grow this aspect of the business year on year, we see the space being utilized in many different ways – once again becoming a chameleon in our approach.”
It was easy to spot the fashionable crowd heading to the Shacklewell Lane venue amid the killer outfits pouring out of nearby stations: attendees wore Lueder’s shirred knits and muscular bottoms, Chopova Lowena’s carabiner skirts, and Fidan Novruzova’s boxy boots and cargo pants. Despite the rain, most people did well wearing Climax bookstores and Aries hoodies. Pop star Beabadoobee danced among a crowd of creatives and models, with casting director Emma Mattel and models Florence Huntington-Whiteley and Hayett McCarthy also in attendance. Descending the stairs into a dedicated club space with a hypnotic light wall, guests sip beers from both tribes and local natural wines, actually Dance to The Femcels, Mr Wize and Sacha Kra. (Later, the team escaped to “Lost,” an experimental club night without phones, to check out what was going on in the early hours.)
Next, look at what happens when Lueder starts stacked LFW.
