10 hours later, the rave-at-the-end-of-the-world vibe continued at LN-CC in Dalston, east London. The now 15-year-old fashion concept store has thrown its weight behind Europe’s rising designer cohort, and cultivated a community that spans fashion, music, and culture—the shop party ‘l8te’ has become genuine appointment Friday night events for locals, partnering with the likes of Nike and Yohji Yamamoto. (As well as riotous parties, this writer also attended an immersive yoga session in its annals, to celebrate the launch of Skin Series and Eden Power Corp’s therapeutic textile workout wear.) Here, Leuder celebrated her fall collection and her newly released LN-CC capsule collaboration. In the red glowing basement, where walls usually hold a carefully curated selection of emerging and established designers from Chopova Lowena to The Row.
“Partnering with Marie and Leuder was a natural fit for me,” says Reece Crisp, LN-CC’s buying and creative director. “Marie and her team communicate through their identity. It’s what I look for in designers and brands—especially at a time like now, when the market is in such flux. Having a clear vision and identity is key, and we’re here for it. Tonight is about showcasing that.”
The collaboration—which includes shirred football jerseys using signature Lueder house styles—happened very naturally, so says the designer. “It started when I spoke to Reece in the BFC Paris showroom in September,” says Lueder. “I love watching football as a social study, and Reece is a football fan. He saw the reworked football top and dress we presented in Berlin for fashion week and asked if we could collaborate on an exclusive and a launch party. It’s a perfect match as Lueder loves to collaborate and curate nights with musicians. And LN-CC is an iconic spot.”
“We’re proud to be as forward-thinking now as we were in 2010—albeit in different guises – speaking to our namesake, ‘Late Night Chameleon’ Café,’” adds Crisp. “Our vision when we redesigned the space was to bring the worlds of retail and nightlife together and provide our partners with a space to activate with conviction. As we evolve that side of the business year on year, we see the space being utilised in many different ways—again, being a chameleon in our approach.”
It was easy to spy the fashion crowd heading toward the Shacklewell Lane spot from the killer outfits spilling out of the nearby station: attendees dressed in Lueder’s shirred jerseys and sinewy bottoms, Chopova Lowena carabiner-looped skirts, Fidan Novruzova’s boxy boots, and cargos. Despite the rain, most people fared well with their Climax bookstore and Aries hoodies. Amid a crowd of creatives and models, pop star Beabadoobee got dancing, and casting director Emma Mattel and models Florence Huntington-Whiteley and Hayett McCarthy also turned out. Down the stairs and into the dedicated club space with its hypnotic light-up walls, guests drank beer from Two Tribes and local natural wine, and actually danced to sets by The Femcels, Mr Wize, and Sacha Kra. (The line-up later absconded to the no-phones, experimental club night Lost to see out the wee hours.)
Below, see what went down when Lueder kickstarted a stacked LFW.