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James Lakeland: 'I think ‘stylish’ is a very important word'

Designer James Lakeland is about to celebrate 25 years in the business. The secret to his success? Designing clothes for real women, he says - and passion

September 27, 2018 08:38
Italian style: James Lakeland

ByJessica Weinstein, Jessica Weinstein

6 min read

My interview with James Lakeland starts off with him schooling me in the history of the JC. His grandfather was foreign correspondent at this paper for 20 years after he was “thrown out of Egypt by Nasser” so Lakeland and his uncle Morris, who is also at Lakeland HQ and gets called over for this conversation are “very attached to the JC”.

Dragging ourselves away from everyone’s favourite subject, I’m drawn to the racks of clothing that surround us. We’re at a table in the middle of what feels like a forest of clothes from James Lakeland’s S/S19 collection. Lots of bold colours and patterns. Red. Stripes. Puffer jackets (Lakeland is apparently “obsessed with puffer jackets”) that make me think of Temple Fortune on a cold December day. That’s not a bad thing. Lakeland knows his target market and works hard to give them what they want.

“James Lakeland clothes are bold; he’s passionate about print,” Natalie the PR tells me.

Lakeland’s career in fashion isn’t traditional and both he and the company have gone through various transformations in the years leading up to this, the 25th anniversary year of his eponymous business.