TOKYO – Only two years old, emerging Japanese womenswear label Lamarck has already garnered a devoted following of fashionistas who want to look a little different but not too crazy thanks to the fine tailoring and exceptionally good fabrics that designer Shinsuke Morishita works with.
Monochrome looks from Lamarck Spring Summer 2014 runway show at Japan Fashion Week. Images: Wesley Kow
A graduate of Bunka Fashion Graduate University at Bunka Fashion College, Morishita had already presented shows in Paris and Vienna before he launched Lamarck in 2011, at the same time as he graduated. Supported by in-the-know store Sister (the companion store to Candy which is better known for its cutting-edge menswear and streetwear labels), Lamarck has done remarkably well and is already stocked by Isetan Shinjuku, a good sign that it is a brand with excellent potential.
What makes Lamarck stand out from the rest of the emerging fashion labels coming out of Tokyo at the moment is its understated elegance of its cut, and the ability Morishita has to incorporate a touch of street trends and more fashion-forward styles with classic pieces all women will want to wear.
You can easily wear Lamarck with your luxe label pieces and not clash; this is a label for women who are “stylistas” rather than “fashionistas”.
Soft pastels, white and silver at Lamarck Spring Summer 2014 runway show at Japan Fashion Week. Images: Wesley Kow
For Spring Summer 2014, Morishita sent out a series of soft knit separates in a mix of graphic black and white linear prints and softer, almost pastel shades. There was plenty of soft volume in the cuts – this is not a label for body-con dressers – and a laid-back, boyfriend vibe; despite the Flock of Seagulls hairdos.
The “ubiquitous” in the collection’s description apparently “reveals the latent value by modern technologies in material and weave”; while the “expression” includes “a yearning for femininity and the pursuit of the clean and chic”. Which, surprisingly, does describe the various pieces in the Lamarck SS14 collection.
WATCH OUR VIDEO OF THE LAMARCK SS14 RUNWAY SHOW:
The materials are lovely, and the classic shapes of a-line, pleated and skater skirts, polo knits, long blazers, trench coats and culottes are saved from being boring by the combination of great fabrics and odd quirky touches. The culottes, for example, have one leg longer than the other; a knee-length skirt has a slightly irregular hem; the polo knit is longer and carries slits at the hip.
Some pieces are more exciting than others, but overall the SS14 collection’s wearability and some, perhaps, slightly too pedestrian pieces aren’t enough to reduce the range to retail-only; there remains a “fashion” element to the collection.
Moving forward it will be interesting to see how the brand develops, hopefully it will continue to retain its slight quirkiness and possibly build on it to create an even stronger signature.
The Lamarck Spring Summer 2014 collection was shown on October 17, 2013, as part of Japan Fashion Week. For more information about Lamarck, go to lamarck-tokyo.com; you can shop the brand online at www.faketokyo.com/shop/lamarck. For more information about Japan Fashion Week, go to tokyo-mbfashionweek.com; follow it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/japanfashionweek and on Twitter at @jfw_official.
