By fusing street fashion, which was the antithesis of luxury, Lucien Pellat-Finet is a pioneering brand that created entirely new values. As a high-end brand that was one of the first to collaborate with various artists and characters, a practice now actively pursued by many other fashion houses, it is a brand that deserves to be re-evaluated.

"Intarsia" is synonymous with luxury knitwear.

Cashmere knitwear, once the exclusive domain of royalty and the upper class, was an item that embodied luxury. Lucien Pellat-Finet's cashmere knitwear, adorned with bold motifs such as skulls, leaves, and peace signs, is both sensational and represents a free spirit, breaking free from the constraints of noblesse oblige that had previously been rooted in high-end brands.

"Lucien Pellat-Finet, who has a background as a model for Pierre Cardin and a fashion editor for Vogue Homme, is a man of free spirit. Until then, cashmere knitwear had mostly been very simple, completely devoid of any design elements, but he remodeled it with bold ideas such as tearing, punching holes, and using street motifs as patterns. By using unexpected designs ironically, he changed the perception of luxury."


This is according to Hidenori Yabuuchi, store manager of the Lucien Pellat-Finet store in the Men's Creators section on the 2nd floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . According to Yabuuchi, the holes in the cashmere knit are the result of a carefully calculated knitting technique, the leaves symbolize happiness and peace, and the skull represents fairness and a worldview free from racial discrimination where everyone is the same after death. This has been a collection theme that has remained unchanged since Pellat-Finet first launched his own brand in 1994 and named it "luxury streetwear."



"While we are certainly committed to the quality of our cashmere, our main collection is knitted in Scotland, the home of cashmere knitwear. We use a highly advanced technique called intarsia to create the patterns, but this technique is very advanced and time-consuming, so the number of skilled knitters is decreasing, making it rare. Unlike jacquard, there are no yarn strands on the back of the pattern, so the knit can be made thin, and more colored threads can be used than on a jacquard knitting machine, allowing for the creation of intricate designs. For this reason, intarsia is synonymous with luxury knitwear."

High quality that captivates a wide range of generations

The technique of linking knitted pieces together stitch by stitch using a method called linking is also a highly skilled handiwork. The fact that the cuffs and hems are finished without using ribbing also shows the attention to detail in the knitwear. Lucien Pellat-Finet employs the finest techniques in its craftsmanship.


However, what truly stands out is the design motif. The cashmere knits in the collection are released every season in a variety of designs, including multi-colored pieces and those adorned with crystals. While many luxury fashion houses now collaborate with a diverse range of artists and characters, Lucien Pellat-Finet, who was familiar with art from a young age, seems to have been exploring collaborations with artists as early as the 1990s.

According to an interview in the French fashion magazine CRASH, Pellat-Finet himself stated that his first collaboration was with Takashi Murakami for his 2003 collection. Since then, he has collaborated with Keith Haring, Basquiat, and the anime/comic series The Simpsons. He has also collaborated with Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami. Furthermore, he has a deep understanding of Japanese character design, and has even featured designs using Hello Kitty and Pokémon in his product lineup.

This season, the collection is themed around "Cuba." Motifs dedicated to the writer Ernest Hemingway, who considered Cuba his second home, are also included.


"Lucien Pellat-Finet is characterized by its unique seasonal themes while still offering a range of basic items. The patterns have remained largely unchanged for over 20 years since the first season, so they are not affected by trends. The knit patterns are bold, but I think the ease of mixing and matching them is another reason why they are easy to wear. Perhaps that's why it has a wide range of fans, from street-style 20-somethings to 60- and 70-year-olds who regularly wear high-end brands, and can be enjoyed by people of all ages."

A special promotion featuring a valuable archive on display.

From Wednesday, January 20th to Tuesday, February 2nd, Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 2nd floor, Men's Creators will host a promotion showcasing Lucien Pellat-Finet's valuable archive collection. Among the latest works from this season, the Hello Kitty collaboration pieces will also be on display. We asked Mr. Yabuuchi to introduce some of the models that are particularly noteworthy.

"The ribbon eye patch, adorned with colorful crystals, is inspired by Hello Kitty's ribbon. It was released in 2019 as an officially licensed Hello Kitty collaboration item from Sanrio. The body is knitted without side seams, so there are no seams that irritate the skin, and it has a cut-and-sew-like silhouette that can be worn comfortably on its own."

"Now, let's introduce some new products."


"With its eye-catching yellow body, this season's theme is Cuba. If you look closely at the Viva Cuba logo, it looks like a parody of the Coca-Cola logo. It's a unique and cynical design that transforms the logo of Cuba, a socialist country with no diplomatic relations with the United States, into a symbol of capitalism."

"The lion is a motif used in Lucien Pellat-Finet's coat of arms, and it has been featured in many of our collections. The base is undyed brown cashmere. The knitted pattern, depicting lions joyfully performing the salsa dance in similar-colored threads, brilliantly fuses the contrasting motifs of nobility and comicality."

"This navy cashmere knit features the familiar skull design using multiple colored crystals. The blue gradient is inspired by the colors of the Caribbean Sea, making it a tribute to Hemingway, who loved Cuba."



Related article: Lucien Pellat-Finet | Promotion featuring rare and legendary pieces and the latest collection to be held.
Text: Yasuyuki Ikeda
Photograph: Yuichi Tajima

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