For the Autumn/Winter 2023/24 season, up-and-coming Finnish brand Latimmier, recognized as a talent at Copenhagen Fashion Week, presented a new twist on the traditional catwalk show. The founder and creative director Ervin Latimer acted as moderator.
Latimer, who founded the brand in 2021, kicked off the show with an emotional speech in which he explained he was struggling with burnout and wasn’t even sure if he would finish his third collection, titled ‘Interlude’.
“Three months ago I wasn’t sure if we could even do a new collection. I was burned out because as most of us know it’s so hard to work in this industry, especially with limited resources,” said Latimer. “I’m very proud to be able to show you a collection today, but I also made this collection as a tribute to all the young and aspiring designers out there who may be struggling or not sure if they can make it – this collection is for you.”
“>
After his speech, Latimer introduced each style and look in his ten-piece collection, which he described as a curated selection of one-offs and one-offs. They all dealt with craftsmanship and technology.
“With this collection, we want to show that we prefer to do less and go deep with what we create,” explains Latimer in the show notes. “In our case, this interlude represents an opportunity to reorganize, reflect and prepare for the next act, which is our journey to redefine masculinity.”
The collection, which took the brand seven weeks to create, challenges the notion of gender performativity with relaxed, deconstructed tailoring and statement-making basics, from a cobalt blue coat styled with matching drapey pants to knitwear with crochet details and a culotte with pinstripes.
Latimier’s collection also includes two collaborations this season. The first is a collaboration with Helsinki-based Swiss-Haitian artist Sasha Huber, who designed the printed patterns on a pleated dress and tailored suit. There are also handcrafted bags in collaboration with Finnish design brand Mifuko. The bags are made from production waste, which naturally occurs due to deformation and weaving errors, and upcycled by the Latimmier team.
A chat with Ervin Latimer, creative director of up-and-coming Finnish brand Latimmier
Ahead of the F/W23/24 presentation, FashionUnited spoke to Latimer about why sustainability is so important to their brand, the inspiration for their collection and their hopes for the future.
What was your starting point for this collection?
With this collection we introduce new elements, including made-to-order and one-off pieces. I knew from the start that this collection would be more compact and intimate, focusing on craftsmanship, use of materials and silhouette.
We also have an exciting collaboration with Sasha Huber, a Swiss-Haitian artist based in Finland. Her work and the themes she discusses in her work, such as the politics of belonging, have greatly influenced this collection.
What does sustainability in fashion mean to you?
It means a lot to me, even though the word sustainability has unfortunately lost a lot of its power due to greenwashing. For Latimmier, sustainability means not only environmental sustainability, but also social sustainability in the way we work in our sector.
As a small, emerging brand, it is of particular importance that we practice sustainable ways of working in the fashion industry from day one so that they are implemented as a matter of course in our future. With that in mind, environmental sustainability is of course hugely important and I’m proud to say that around 40 percent of the materials used in our next collection will be of recycled or upcycled origin and another 15 percent will be made from certified organic materials. The rest, while not certified organic or recycled, is made from natural fibers such as wool, silk and leather, and less than one percent is petroleum-based.
How do you implement sustainable practices in your designs?
Apart from sustainable and durable materials, we play a lot with designs that adapt to the body. We want to make sure they fit as many body types as possible. This is reflected in several designs in our new collection.
We’ve also put a lot of focus on waste reduction in this collection, either by using the offcuts we generate in the designs themselves or by designing pieces that produce little or no offcuts. Also, we are currently in a lengthy process of finding ways to use and recycle all of our trim waste, not only in our studio but also in our factories.
Last but not least – and I know it’s a cliché – we try to emphasize the importance of good and practical design that works in real life and lasts a long time.
How would you describe the aesthetic of your brand?
Latimmier’s aesthetic is tailor-inspired and relaxed, with a touch of sensuality and seduction. Our design language springs from the history of traditional and normative western menswear and how we reinterpret and recast those codes into a new masculinity.
Why is it important to you to have a brand that supports queer people and people of color?
As an artist, one tends to mirror reality and to create a new one through this mirror. I’m a queer POC designer working in a mostly white country – Finland. So it goes without saying that a big part of what I do is creating a reality in which I, and people like me, can see themselves. In addition to my design work, I am also very involved in the field of culture.
It’s critical for me that in these positions, I also focus on creating opportunities for everyone that might not be seen as part of the norm, whether it’s when I’m attending an advisory group for a new cultural project or as a visiting professor for one younger generation of creative people working in institutions such as universities or museums.
Before Latimmier, I worked as senior editor for Ruskeat Tytöt (Brown Girls in English), an independent online publication dedicated to bringing the perspectives of women of color to the fore and normalizing in Finnish media. And fortunately, I’m just one of many creatives with this mindset in my beloved home country.
What’s next for your brand?
Next summer will be the last to participate in Copenhagen Fashion Week as part of the CPHFW NewTalent program. It will definitely show how far we can go with our ambitions when it comes to unique and made-to-order pieces. These allow us to create much more complex garments without the worries and problems that mass production poses.
We already have some very interesting projects that we are planning. We will remain committed to our mission of challenging masculinity through clothing.
This article was similarly published on FashionUnited.uk. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ