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Marie Lueders collections explore how clothing affects the mind

I love exploring how a garment affects us energetically, says Hamburg-born designer and Royal College of Art graduate Marie Lueder of her clothing, which she hopes will allowthe wearer to navigate their interior selves

Marie Lueder is a designer with an agenda. I like to make fashion that is like a deep conversation; then I simplify the garment so it speaks for itself, because not everyone has the time to listen to me, she says from her studio in Londons Shoreditch.

The Hamburg native moved to London to pursue a masters in menswear at the Royal College of Art, honing a practice that encompasses performance art, research into sustainability, and ultimately, the creation of garments that allow the wearer to navigate both their interior selves and external realities at eponymous label Lueder.

I think with my background as a tailor. I am really guided by construction, she says; in sartorial terms, this has resulted in explorations of archetypal garments which upend expectations, while incorporating traditional techniques from a team of tailors in Birmingham.

This feeling of utilitarian luxury is epitomised by her Civilian Hoodie, which comes complete with a degrad spiral on its front a motif she sees as symbolic of her label. Its a universal garment that everyone likes to wear, and it has this protection element of the hood as well. The spiral is about chaos and confusion. We are all spiralling and if people stand in the spiral shape, they would feel close to one another rather than isolated.

Jacket, 1,150; shirt, 355; jeans, 650, all by Lueder

In her shows and presentations, Lueder uses such visual motifs to prompt individuals to incorporate her garments in their wardrobes and lives, hoping to form a feeling of community through her work. She references an annual festival in Hamburg, which has roots in mediaeval folklore. Our carnival is called Fasching. The idea was that the communal gathering is really necessary to relieve people and make them feel human, and you can go crazy as well, she says. To create a space for people to explore and share her work, Lueder engages external collaborators, each one diligently acknowledged on the presentation of new collections.

Co-creation also underpins her response to sustainability. Lueder recently participated in the Sustainable Leadership Programme at the University of Cambridge, which prompted her to invite clients to send in their old suits to be repurposed. Fashion does this crazy thing of telling us we need newness, [but now] there is also the baggage of oh, I am human, I am creating waste 24/7 and people feel so unable to deal with the problem. So, rather than preaching from her digital pulpit, Lueder is choosing to develop channels of allyship that still result in beautiful clothing. What is the next suit and what does it have to do? Lueder asks herself.

Lueders ascent has been rapid; she has enjoyed the professional triptych of critical acclaim, celebrity patronage one side project involved working with Kanye West on merchandise for his first Donda listening event and an impressive list of stockists since launching in 2019. But she is candid about the challenges facing an emerging brand. Even though it might look like that right now, there are side jobs I do, so I still feel like I am struggling. And I am constantly thinking, How can I sustain this? How can I plan?

Even so, Lueder forges forward with a desire to create clothing that allows the wearer to feel their best self, with each garment a conduit for mental wellbeing. I love exploring how a garment affects us energetically.

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