Sports fans are talking about the super bowl this morning and fashion fans are all a-buzz with the latest collab news: Derek Lam x Athleta. The Gap Inc. owned atheltic wear brand is teaming up with Derek Lam 10 Crosby on a contemporary "athleisure" line. The collection will launch in Athleta stores and Derek Lam's 10 Crosby Store in September reported WWD.
"We've been following how 10 Crosby developed, and Derek was interested in experimenting with athletic wear," said Nancy Green, president of Athleta. Green went on to say, "It's exciting to have a designer collaboration when it's the right one. We don't believe we have to have one every season, but if the right opportunity to partner comes up, it's great. It complements our collection and gives a wider variety to our customer."
Lam commented on the collaboration saying, "With all the awareness of how people are using that category of clothing in their everyday lives, I thought it was an interesting proposition and put feelers out there that I would love to do some kind of collaboration." He's signed on with Athleta for three seasons. Lam signed a three year collaboration deal with Athleta and said his aesthetic for the line is more subtle than Athleta's typical colorful collections. "I kept questioning what seemed gratuitous. Like, you don't need another sports brand, so how do I make the pieces work easily into her everyday wardrobe?" Lam told WWD. "We really challenged them on, and they challenged us too on, bringing in leather and fabrications that you would think are more sportswear-oriented Versus athletic wear." The collection, which ranges from $58 to $388, is not only slightly more expensive than current Athleta items but features items like washable leather pieces and technical denim.About Derek Lam:
Derek Lam is a leading New York fashion designer known for his modern approach of blending minimal designs with feminine sensuality. The label's acclaimed runway collections are defined by Lam's distinctive take on luxury, anchored in the tradition of classic American sportswear.
Derek Lam International, LLC was founded in New York by Derek Lam and partner Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann in 2003. Lam began his fashion career in 1990 after graduating from Parsons School of Design. He spent twelve years at the highest levels of American fashion as a designer at Michael Kors before starting his own label. In 2006 the collection expanded to include handbags, followed by shoes and eyewear in 2007. In 2011, capitalizing on the strength of the main collection while adding a downtown element, the company launched the more accessible Derek Lam 10 Crosby line which quickly became a success in the contemporary market.
Marked by a calculated simplicity and highly perfected detailing, Lam's point-of-view is informed by contemporary culture, in dialog with art, architecture and product design. "I am interested in what it means to live a contemporary life," says Lam. "I always consider what will work for women at this moment, and to me this moment is about luxury without formality. Even at their most feminine, my clothes are not precious or staid."
Lam has received abundant recognition within the fashion industry. He won the CFDA Perry Ellis-Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Womenswear in 2005, and was a winner of the Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund Prize in 2005. In 2007, he won Accessory Designer of the Year at the 2007 CFDA Awards. His work was exhibited at the Kennedy Center's "The New China Chic" exhibition in 2006, London's Victoria and Albert Museum's exhibit of significant New York fashion, and The Museum at FIT's Gothic: Dark Glamour exhibition in 2008. Lam's deep engagement and creative dialogue with the worlds of art and architecture led to the inclusion of his design in the Neue Galerie's monograph on Egon Schiele, whom he considers an inspiration.
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