Come Dine With Me… Marie Lueder
For this edition of our “Come Dine With Me” series, designer Marie Lueder invited us to the iconic London haunt Bar Italia, a 24-hour eatery which has sat at the heart of Soho for over 73 years (it opened its doors way back in 1949.) It seems fitting to meet Marie here; as a deeply conceptual designer, her designs traverse ideas of time by incorporating research and moods from past, present and future. Over a glass of red wine and some Italian culinary staples, the innovative designer told us more about her work.
Where are you and what are you eating and drinking?
I’m at Bar Italia in Soho and I am having a coffee to start, followed by a glass of dry red wine and pizza Verdure. They put pistachio pesto on it - my favourite!
Why did you choose this spot?
This place has existed for over 50 years. They’ve seen it all, and you can feel that. So many emotions are in this place, and they treat everyone the same. Similarly, you can have an espresso there in the morning or a drink in the evening. It totally serves your soul food needs. It reminds me of my hometown Hamburg, which has the biggest red light district in Europe (I think). It has this melancholy and rawness which I like. At Bar Italia, the food is great and nothing is too fussy. Plus, you always meet some iconic people - I love people watching and meeting new people.
What’s your favourite thing on the menu?
Arancini and the Tiramisu. It’s heaven.
Let’s talk about the ingredients that make up your career. What are they?
Curiosity, care, bravery, some childishness - I call it Peter Pan syndrome. Passion.
How did you get started?
To be able to be a good designer I thought I need to learn the craft first, before even studying. So I became a bespoke tailor at the Opera in Hamburg first, and then studied fashion and applied arts in Hamburg, and then menswear at the Royal College of Art. After doing some art and fashion shows (I love presentations) I decided to launch my brand properly in February 2020, just before Covid hit. I had an amazing group of friends who I worked with and who supported me. I was close to creating a collective, but that seemed very complicated. That’s why I collaborate so much, though - I love working with people and the novelty of bringing different energies together.
What are the essentials that comprise the Marie Lueder brand?
I used to call it mental armour but it's more about safety. In the end I want to create fashion which makes my customer feel more secure and allows him to feel vulnerable, but supported. Like he’s part of a community and connected to our planet, Mother Earth.
Your work is a mixture of futuristic and wearable. How do you find the balance between the flavours?
I work with the three time paradigms: the past, present and the future. So I incorporate something known from the past, like the upcycled t-shirts I’ve worked with since my graduation in 2018. I call these the “nuclear family” tees. They’re t-shirts from our parents' generation, which capture their time which was a safe time in terms of being able to see a sustainable future, and have an idea of retirement. Our future, especially as Millennials, feels very precarious, so to represent this I add a spiral sash on top of that dream of the past, as a way of embracing the unknown. Like a talisman.
Something from the present is, for me, denim - it’s functional, solid and not too “out there”. For the journey, I use a more futuristic, functional and elevated material like the regenerated, water repellent, super lightweight nylon I use for the outerwear.
How do you cook up an idea? Talk us through your creative process.
I’ll use the example of “the amateur”, an idea I developed for AW21. Someone who is a lover, passionate about something, and yet not professional. For example, when people during lockdown started baking bread or making their own kimchi. The desire to learn this new craft and on the journey ask others for advice with easiness and openness.
The word “amateur” originates from the French word “armour” for love. I came up with this idea of amateurs, who are surviving daily life by being not professional, but passionate. Seeking without knowing - instead embarking on the journey to knowledge; asking for information and communicating with other people, rather than isolating. The final goal being investigation in life.
In your opinion, who has excellent taste?
Artists such as Yves Tumor, Mykki Blanco, Isa Genzken and my friend Jamie (@4fucksackesbabes on Instagram).
Now for the fun questions… Favourite thing to eat?
Dark chocolate.
Least favourite thing to eat?
Conventional mayonnaise from a jar. If it’s homemade, I like it!
If your brand was a dish, what dish would it be?
Carrot salad with nigella seeds, lots of fresh lemon juice, tuna in oil, salt pepper. All this heated in a microwave for one-and-a-half minutes. That's it. I eat this at my studio and make it for my team sometimes, too.
What would be your ideal meal and where would you have it?
I like the idea of opening fresh oysters directly from the ocean with a knife, and eating them at the beach in France with some chilled Sancerre.
Who would be your dream dinner party guests?
Mads Mikkelsen, Massimo Osti, Madeleine Vionnet, Jil Sander, Marithé and Francoise Girabud, Isa Genzken, David Cronenberg, Jodorowsky, Meriem bennai, Thierry Mugler, Rammstein, Yves Klein, Renee Verdun a friend of my parents who is a great film director. And Atiéna R. Kilfa.
What do you do when you’re not working?
Meet up with friends and go for drinks, or cook and go for long very slow runs in a park.
In life, what’s the best recipe for success?
Passion.
They say that success smells sweet. What does it smell to you?
Warm, like the perfume I made together with Paul Guerlain for IFF Paris.
Interview by Georgia Graham
Photography by Jonathan Middleton
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