Stuck in traffic on a Honda Cub, but make it fashion.
In the labyrinthine road networks of Vietnam’s populous metropolises, motorbikes remain the most convenient means of transport to get you where you want. Bikes are the close confidants of nearly everybody from all walks of life, age groups, and fashion sensibilities, from Saigon’s coterie of masks–wearing Lead ninjas to French fashion house Lemaire.
In their recent campaign for the Spring/Summer 2024 collection, the brand — with designers Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran at the helm — unveiled a playful set of images featuring selected looks worn by models and locals while they’re dashing on the streets of Hanoi and Saigon on motorbikes.
The images, shot by Osma Harvilahti on site in Vietnam, showcase both the forms and functions of the new collection, which imbued the brand’s signature minimalist elegance with season-appropriate utility.
According to Vogue, they were inspired by a recent trip to Vietnam to explore the relationship between clothing and travel. “We like to design from reality,” Lemaire told the magazine. “Like everyone, we’re experiencing global warming and the need for lighter fabric, lighter clothes, protection pieces—and we try to bring that functionality to our work.”
The need for convenience and comfort in transit resulted in pieces that feature “breathable fabrics such as cotton and silk; fluid and functional shapes, from capes to reporter vests; technical features such as drawstrings; and, yes, water-resistant outerwear.”
The first campaign, shot in 2023, is titled “trên yên xe,” or “on the bike seat” in Vietnamese, and true to its name, a motorbike in motion is a unifying element in every photo, alongside other “street fashion” staples like sun masks, gloves, and sun skirts. Curiously, the creative team has decided to flirt with the law by omitting helmets in some shots.
If you happen to be in Paris, these photographs are available for viewing in person at an exhibition titled « a sense of place, a sense of time, a sense of tune » at the Lemaire flagship store on rue Elzévir.
[Photos via Instagram account @lemaire_official]
