Miro Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Jean-François Lesage talks to SHONALI MUTHALALY on his passion for India and embroidery, and working with shoe designer Christian Louboutin “What we do should normally not exist,” says Jean-François Lesage. “Because it's too complex. Too sophisticated. Too difficult.” He adds with a grin, “Which is a good thing.” The house of Lesage, after all, has always been about luxury. And creators of luxury must necessarily be wildly ambitious, and — at the same time — extraordinarily patient. At Vastrakala, the Alwarpet workshop, set in an airy, graceful old garden bungalow, craftsmen sit in cross-legged rows, carefully working on intricate embroidery. Some of the stitching is so fine a microscope is needed for the process. Over here, a mere window blind can take six master embroiderers 2000 hours of work. This year, Lesage's joining forces with Christian Louboutin, the influential maverick shoe designer, in a move likely to trigger waves in the world of fashion. This is Louboutin's first line for men. Lesage's most publicised collaboration with him so far has been the Marie Antoinette-inspired shoe collection (each pair costing roughly Rs. 3 lakh). Only 36 of these were released. “They're very difficult to make. One pair takes more time to put together than a BMW or Mercedes — 600 to 1000 hours.” We study the first three shoe designs on Jean-François' desk: all unabashedly elaborate and saucily flamboyant, complete with Louboutin's signature glossy scarlet sole. “Christian said, ‘We could do something for men. I would like to wear them.' Dapper Jean-François grins, adding, “I would too!” They worked on the line in Chennai a few months ago, with a big pin up of the jewellery-laden Maharaja of Gwalior set up in the workshop for inspiration. “We thought, why deprive men of embroidery when traditionally they always wore it… There's a sense of generous opulence in India. People here are not afraid of ‘maximalism'.” Modern day fashion might frown on too many frills and flounces for men, but in cultures from Persia to India, accessory-laden dandyism was never a bad thing. Louboutin's all about edgy seductive styling and Lesage spells classy opulence, so their combined work is predictably lavish, and startling. “We bring together an equal amount of energy,” says Jean-François. “We all write stories in our own way. Some people use a pen. Some people use a brush. Some a needle. And some people invent shoes.” This collection will have six styles on the whole, with just 500 shoes in each style since every pair takes about 20 to 60 hours to create. They will be released in December, and then one season later the women's shoes will make their debut along with matching handbags. “The shoes are inspired by the exuberance of India. Gwalior, the maharajas, the jewellery. In honour of Louboutin's great friend Mika (the British singer-songwriter) they're called ‘Mikaraja'.” Louboutin and Jean-François, who have known each other for 20 years, share a love for India. “He came to India first when he was 17. I came when I was 19. We are both lucky our work is our passion,” says Jean-Francois, adding — with a smile, but no trace of irony — “We make extremely important things that are absolutely superficial.” Given his passion for embroidery, it's surprising to hear he vowed never to join the family business when he was a boy. “My family was in the business for so long. I felt it was taking up too much of my father's time,” he says. Of course, there were perks. “It did make me a very popular kid in school. I was exchanging Swarovskis for all kinds of goods… such as footballs!” When his father bought a company in India, Jean-François figured it was the perfect excuse to renege on his dramatic oath, and join the family tradition. “People thought it was odd to try and manufacture quality in India. For me it was very logical. I stepped here and felt I had reached home. I was 27. To me India felt natural, normal, necessary.” He quotes Queen Marie Antoinette's stylist, who when asked to create a new hairstyle said, “There is nothing new except what has been forgotten.” Similarly, the work of Lesage today combines ideas from all over the world with traditional skills instead of merely recreating masterpieces. “There are cycles of fantasy and expression. It's a new way of appreciating the old. A new level of energy.” He believes that despite industrialisation, luxury will never go out of style. “People will come back to real luxury. Luxury is something done for you, thinking of you, putting you at the centre of the story…” If luxury gets expensive, Jean-François says that's probably a good thing. “This way craftsmen won't be taken for granted. They'll be respected for the work they do.” He adds, “My family… we consider ourselves craftsmen. That's why I feel so close to my workers. In a way we share the same background. We just happen to have been born in different countries… we share the same universe.” http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/metroplus/article830361.ece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillibet Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 I know very well LESAGE and his embroideries ,he is a great artist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathouzouf Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Can't wait to see the shoes:thumb_yello: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lui Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 hahahaha Mikaraja :roftl: it sounds really funny thanks for the article!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyn Mastin Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 This is great! Thanks for posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamy_Queen Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Mikaraja? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littlelady Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Here is my slogan for that product: Mikaraja, the shoe which you make smile cause you walk like on clouds. Use on own danger cause maybe you fly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertina Posted October 14, 2010 Share Posted October 14, 2010 Mikaraja! glitter and gold! t4p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wesley Müller Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Here is my slogan for that product: Mikaraja, the shoe which you make smile cause you walk like on clouds. Use on own danger cause maybe you fly i wanna two, number 42 (brasilian numeration)... please... :floor: t4p!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAK1 Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 T4P, Miro:thumb_yello: Can't wait to see the end result, it sounds like they will be very decorative. And it's so cool of Christian to name them after Mika, what a lovely gesture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruMIKAULITZ Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Mikaraja!!!! i love it! xD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaMariaPetra Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Cool: Mikaraja!! Maybe they are exploding shoes:wink2:?: Exploding shoes? Alright then. Today was mika on a dutch channel named: rtl boulevard. It's about his clothes.. he could be a style icon as said in the show.. here you can watch it.. it's after 30 minutes http://www.rtl.nl/components/actueel/rtlboulevard/miMedia/197311/197378.s4m.29728190.RTL_Boulevard_s12_a67.xml Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francoise Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Mikaraja.. I love it too It's kind of Louboutin... It looks like a nice tribute to his friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Sky Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 What a quirky story!! The things and places we find Mika's influence....so often surprising:wub2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamy_Queen Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 What a quirky story!! The things and places we find Mika's influence....so often surprising:wub2: And it's great! Life becomes more and more interesting and full of surprises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Angel Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 Mikaraja? OMG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francoise Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 And it's great! Life becomes more and more interesting and full of surprises. This is what happens when great and creative minds as Mika, Louboutin and Lesage come together .. It necessarily gives some interesting things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubitus Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 I was in Chriastian's Louboutin brand new shop in Beirut last summer , a real museum !!! and I was happy to see an art picture of him along with Mika in the shop !! I hushed in my bf's ear and told him "see , even Louboutin's a fan of Mika" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francoise Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 I was in Chriastian's Louboutin brand new shop in Beirut last summer , a real museum !!! and I was happy to see an art picture of him along with Mika in the shop !! I hushed in my bf's ear and told him "see , even Louboutin's a fan of Mika" Louboutin always shows as often as he can, his friendship for Mika.. I have read last summer in Air France magazine an article from him talking about his best travel memories and he talked about the weeks he spent with Mika during his 2008 summer tour.. He mentioned how he had loved to be part of the Mika family for a while and has illustrate the article with a pic of the backstage pass signed by Mika!! I think it's good for Mika to have a real friend like him - especially now!! Of course, I have teared up the page in order to keep the article Yes I know, it's bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mari62 Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 T4P Miro! Mikaraja I was in Chriastian's Louboutin brand new shop in Beirut last summer , a real museum !!! and I was happy to see an art picture of him along with Mika in the shop !! I hushed in my bf's ear and told him "see , even Louboutin's a fan of Mika" Louboutin always shows as often as he can, his friendship for Mika..I have read last summer in Air France magazine an article from him talking about his best travel memories and he talked about the weeks he spent with Mika during his 2008 summer tour.. He mentioned how he had loved to be part of the Mika family for a while and has illustrate the article with a pic of the backstage pass signed by Mika!! I think it's good for Mika to have a real friend like him - especially now!! Of course, I have teared up the page in order to keep the article Yes I know, it's bad thanks for sharing guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francoise Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 T4P Miro! Mikaraja thanks for sharing guys Always a pleasure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eloise.shaw Posted October 15, 2010 Share Posted October 15, 2010 AWESOME. dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiza Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Mikaraja sounds cool:biggrin2: Cant wait to see the shoes. T4p and thanks Francoise and Cubitus for the stories about Louboutin's interview for Air France and his Beirut shop, they're lovely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mine Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Here is a pic of the "Marie-Antoinette Shoe" (an other collaboration between Louboutin and Lesage: Can't wait to see the Mikaraja collection!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francoise Posted October 17, 2010 Share Posted October 17, 2010 Here is a pic of the "Marie-Antoinette Shoe" (an other collaboration between Louboutin and Lesage: Can't wait to see the Mikaraja collection!!!! Wwoomm:wub2: It's a real piece of art!! Much more than shoes.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.