L’OFFICIEL INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW L’OFFICIEL
Pushing
Your Limits
L’Officiel Arabia speaks with Lucas Maethger, a Chair of the Fashion Design department at the Paris College of Art. BY Tanja Beljanski
Paris College of Art (PCA) has recently welcomed Lucas Maethger as the new Chair of the Fashion Design department. A specialist in Men’s wear, Lucas Maethger began his career working as the head of design for Antonio Miro (Spain), Dirk Bikkembergs (Belgium) and Celio (France), while creating his own company. By Lucas / L&A Maethger is an experimental platform where he designs an avant-garde men’s wear line which he uses as a creative lab for fashion visions, statements and innovations with a focus on fashion film. Two of his films were official selections in fashion film festivals in Turkey, Paris, Miami and Mexico City. Maethger has also developed his role as a consultant in trend forecasting and creative direction with ready to wear and luxury men’s wear, by helping clients define their brand identity, designing capsule or full collections, researching trends and analyzing markets. The designer is not new to Paris College of Art, as he used to teach the senior collection/ concept development course, as well as investigative research, work methods and fashion strategies, from 2011 to 2016, all this while organizing PCA’s End-of-Year Fashion shows. Maethger has also taught at SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design), in the USA, and LISAA (L’Institut Supérieur des Arts Appliqués) in Paris, where he still holds a position of adjunct faculty. We talked with Lucas Maethger about his vision, his goals and his work methods. We talked about creativity 86
and working with students; asked him about all the things that make Paris College of Art stand out in the fashion education industry. And, of course, we talked about Paris. Tanja Beljanski: Congratulations on your position as the new Chair of the Fashion Design department at the Paris College of Art! What are your main priorities and goals in your role? Lucas Maethger: Thank you very much, I am honored, as
a chair of the fashion design department at PCA, to guide and nurture students in their academic development. In this role my main priority is to bring the recognition of the department on an international level and promote the excellence of the students’ work. In these very challenging times we are living in, I engage in visionary thinking and build strong students’ portfolios to guarantee their success in the industry. The goals are to rethink what designs means, “DE”Sign fashion with a new perspective by keeping the Fashion / Textile challenges in consideration. Creating a program that is stimulating purposeful work and innovation is a main focus as a chair. TB: What do you like the most about being a teacher? LM: The most important for me is to re-think the fashion
system and the re-identify what fashion means. The industry is facing questions that needs innovative answers. I love to engage with the young generation of designers to work on solution drives “DE”Sign and help them to work on a NEW fashion. With my 20+ years of experience
Lucas Maethger, Chair of the Fashion Design department | Paris College of Art | Photo: Bishoppe Kamusinga
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fostering individuality and authenticity. We are looking at every individual student and their specific needs. It is important that every student finds their personal and own way in “DE”Sign and is going to be part of the change in the fashion universe. PCA class sizes are very small and students have intensive time with the instructor together and will get guarantee an excellent learning outcome. Students are individually guided throughout their process to achieve the best personal results. Each student is different and PCA is celebrating the diversity, in the body of the students, but also the way students will be directed. The needs are very individual and as well the direction they get. Students will encounter the Fashion department support throughout a variety of industry related projects. TB: How did your personal experience as a student / graduate of the Fashion Department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp influence your way of teaching fashion design? LM: My personal experience at the Royal Academy of
in the Fashion industry I am able to bring real fashion live experiences in the classroom. As in the pictures, noticeable we had a workshop with SagaFurs in school so students are able to understand the material before making an opinion. Research is essential to a young designer and I love teaching this part of the process. Demonstrating creativity and being an inspirational example to students is very rewarding. TB: Please tell us about your work methods. How do you direct students? How do you support them? LM: The work methods are focusing very much on
learning by exploring. If we don’t make mistakes we will not learn from them. PCA fashion design program is 88
Fine Arts in Antwerp, where I graduated with a Master in 2003, has influenced my way of teaching very much. Learning that I had to fight for my dreams has impacted the quality of my work. The program in Antwerp taught me to be engaged in my work and this is very well reflected now in my teaching practice. I am fully engaged in preparing the students for the change the fashion industry has to go through. Finding the personality throughout fashion is something I am implementing in the program at PCA as well and the creative thinking process is in the center of the learning. And here I am seeing strong influences from my experiences at the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Seeking always for better and pushing your personal limits, that is what I will give to my students and department as well. TB: What makes Paris College of Art stand out in the fashion education industry? LM: The PCA fashion strategy is to “DE”Sign fashion:
in the six semesters of the program, PCA’s fashion design department is focusing on observing in the 1st semester, applying in the 2nd semester, analyzing in the 3rd semester, interpreting in the 4th semester, reflecting in the 5th semester and innovating in the final semester. The core values in that program are critical thinking and reflecting the challenging world we are living in. Work produced in the courses will be guided to achieve
STUDENTS PHOTOGRAPHED ARE: MARIN YAMADA, KELLY HSIEH, ANDREA FREYDIG, ODIN FROSTAD, TARREN GARCIA, TAKIRA KINNEY, MEREDITH GROSS, MAYA MILLER, KIAN BOONABI-MIRFATHALI, CAITLIN O’LEARY, SONAL RANDENY, CHARLOTTE STEWART | PROFESSORS PHOTOGRAPHED ARE: ROSEMARY RODRIGUEZ, CAROLINE JOY ELIE (SAGAFURS FINLAND WORKSHOP WAS HELD BY VITTORIA TOSATTO) | PHOTOGRAPHER: BISHOPPE KAMUSINGA
INTERVIEW L’OFFICIEL
“THE most IMPORTANT for ME IS to RE-THINK the FASHION system AND to RE-IDENTIFY the MEANING of FASHION.”
INNOVATE with solid training in techniques including pattern design, knitwear, printing, drawing, draping and creative thinking. TB: How can creativity be nurtured and what is the source of your creativity? LM: The most important part of being creative is to
observe first. The first semester is dedicated to that. With abstract thinking we can nurture ourselves with creativity. The exercises we use in the classroom in the first and second semester stimulate our creativity and encounter the abstract thinking process. My source of creativity is coming from the surroundings I am living in. I can be inspired from anything I am looking at in the combination of what my thoughts are at that moment. Lots of fantasy and taking things not too serious are the foundation of being creative. We can learn and train creativity, and it is inspiring to see the young talents applying it in their process. As we can see in the images as well, I, as a chair, review Senior students’ work frequently to make sure that the creativity is brought to its full extent and every student has a strong story to tell once they graduate and we host a fashion show in Paris. TB: What makes Paris a special place to study fashion? LM: Due to industry related collaboration within Europe
purpose driven solutions for the new creative economy across the industry spectrum and puts the digital and technology revolution into practice in its teaching, to be highly competitive in the fashion universe. “DE”Sign is the play of the word design that is looking at fashion with different perspectives and to create NEW fashion. PCA’s fashion design department is an open-minded and visionary fashion program which nurtures tomorrow’s creative talents with their personal NEW fashion identity. Becoming Fashion Designers, Visionary and, ultimately, Creative Directors, means OBSERVE, APPLY, ANALYZE, INTERPRET, REFLECT AND
and the USA, PCA is a unique bridge between the two continents, and provides the global aspect of the fashion world to the students. Paris College of Art is an American accredited College. When students graduate, they will receive an American Diploma, according to American education standards. We teach all the classes in English, so there is no need for students to speak any French. PCA is a strong English speaking community and we are all international faculty and students. Paris College of Art combines French fashion culture, where design takes first place and relies on excellence in craftsmanship with the American urge of constant innovation and critical thinking to find purposeful solutions in leading the creative industries worldwide with a positive impact. PCA’s Fashion Department has an international network of alumni, and due to my large international experience, students will be exposed to a variety of diverse experiences. The instructors professional ParisExperience is essential to give the student a real live experience in the classroom. Paris is considered the capital of the “Western” Fashion, so I think there are a lot of ground breaking experience to be done in the city, and to study fashion here. I personally love the diversity in the city, there are so many different cultures coming together. It is wonderful to see and study, and to get inspiration from. Paris is one of the places I get the most inspired and this is based on its multi-cultural aspect. §
@lucas_maethger | paris.edu | @pariscollegeofart 89
INTERVIEW L’OFFICIEL
TALENTS: GEORGE KAZAN, AYA DAHER, GABRIELLA RIZK AND ALI NESR | PHOTOGRAPHER: LYNN MARJI | MAKEUP ARTIST: SARAH DEBS | COURTESY OF DAISY SLEIMAN AND DNR BY DAISY
L’OFFICIEL INTERVIEW
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Daisy Sleiman, Fashion Designer | PCA Graduate
Creating A
Community L’Officiel Arabia speaks with Daisy Sleiman, fashion designer. BY Tanja Beljanski
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INTERVIEW L’OFFICIEL
Tanja Beljanski: Please tell us about your background and what motivated you to decide to study fashion design at the Paris College of Art? What does Paris represent for you? Daisy Sleiman: I was raised in Dubai for the most
part of my life. Growing up, I’d often find myself surrounded with unimaginable amounts of A4 papers that my mother would get from her job working as a schoolteacher. I would use these to sketch. I used to sleep wearing my school uniform every night and wake up at 5am just so I would have enough time to watch the Disney Channel and sketch what every character was wearing. This started roughly around the age of 7, but I always knew I was destined for fashion as any time before that I wouldn’t engage in much conversation
unless it was about discussing clothes, especially when people would come up to me and ask for my opinion regarding their outfits. I even used to put my mum’s clothes together when I was 6 years old, as I found it rather important to have her outfits checked before she headed out. I transferred from the Lebanese American University after the devastating events we had to endure back in Lebanon. As our country was slowly falling apart, I had no other option but to leave. I started my search for universities, focused on ones that were English-speaking and would really push my creative side, and that’s when I came across PCA. Moreover, it was the ease and comfort that PCA provided me with alongside its beaming positive energy that I could feel all throughout the process that strongly made PCA stand out from other universities. To me, France always reminded me of home. I can sense Beirut wherever I go around here. As for Paris specifically, it represents hardship. Ever since I moved here, I have experienced hardships in forms I am unfamiliar with in comparison to those I used to experience in the Middle East. My priorities shifted once I moved; I started caring about things that I didn’t care about back home simply because they weren’t available to me then. I would not deny that there are many hardships, but here in Paris I was able to be rewarded with equal amounts of success, and that’s what makes it all worthwhile. TB: What are the best lessons you learned at the PCA when it comes to the fashion industry? DS: The first lesson that stuck with me, as cliché as
may sound, is to always go with your first and initial thought. Truthfully speaking, whenever I had an idea about a certain topic, approach or execution in PCA I would try and jump around different ideas, but would always land on the same one I started with. So, just stick with your gut feeling when it comes to your creative approaches and just go with it, simply embrace it. The second lesson I would say is that the more people dislike your work and project negativity, the more drive you possess within your work. Always use this energy as fuel for motivation: the more people said no to me, the more I said yes to myself. TB: Would you recommend studying at the PCA and why? DS: Yes, because with all the good and the bad PCA
helped me grow and opened a large space for me to connect with greatly talented people who themselves have so much experience and motivation that aided me with my work. I believe everyone should have this type of experience in fashion studies, as back home I didn’t have the same freedom of creativity or speech and I can well imagine how many other places would be like that. 92
“I want TO create THINGS that EVERYONE can RELATE TO.” I personally prospered so much in my time at PCA, both mentally and professionally.
TALENTS: GEORGE KAZAN, AYA DAHER, GABRIELLA RIZK AND ALI NESR | PHOTOGRAPHER: LYNN MARJI | MAKEUP ARTIST: SARAH DEBS | COURTESY OF DAISY SLEIMAN AND DNR BY DAISY
Daisy Sleiman is Dubai based Lebanese fashion designer. After graduating at the Paris College of Art (PCA), she started showing her Ready to Wear collections DNR by Daisy during Paris Fashion Weeks. As Daisy is developing her brand, we talk with her about her experience studying in Paris, her work and inspiration, and about her future plans. When asked what advice she would like to share with anyone interested in studying fashion, Daisy answers: “Do it! Don’t let anyone tell you no!”
TB: How did you come up with the idea of creating your brand? DS: I always had this idea that I had to create
something that everyone can relate to and was determined to do it by connecting everyone through fashion. I loved the idea of giving clothes a second chance and even tried to do that back home by trying to make fashion affordable for everyone through reselling and repurposing. I believe that motto stayed with me throughout the entire process of trying to start my own brand as a fresh graduate, which is the main inspiration behind my work: I want to create things that everyone can not only wear but also relate to. I am not simply talking about inclusivity, but rather creating a community where everyone shouldn’t look to be accepted and loved: a community where you simply believe you already are right off the bat. To be honest, I am doing it for myself and not just for others, as it stems from my own experiences. My personal life is narrated through the clothes I design. A lot of my work is based on innovative techniques, more specifically those involving textile manipulation, which is what I precisely mean by “second life”. Not just repurposing it, but rather creating something from nothing. Things that I ask myself when looking at a fabric would be: “How would I alter this?”, “How can I make it unrecognizable to people?” or “How far off the starting point can I get this fabric to?”, because these are the questions that invite me to think beyond expectations; they invite me to grow my thinking into something bigger every time. TB: What is a story behind your brand? DS: This is a heavy story of someone who comes from
a largely mixed background; one that is heavier than words can translate. I was born in Lebanon, I lived in Dubai for most of my life and moved back to Lebanon in my late teenage years only to find myself moving again to Paris a few years after. Having to do all of that at 21 is something that has shaped me differently. I want to create something meaningful, expressive, yet relatable. I want to ensure transparency: what you see is what you get, because, truthfully, fashion was always a necessity, but we found ourselves spinning it into something way more luxurious which made it turn into
a new way of life. My work aims at showcasing problem-solving through alterations of pattern works, fabric manipulations, textile handling, and many other innovative techniques deployed to tackle new ways of expression. My brand aims to give you fashion that can be worn on a good and a bad day, one that may be used as casual or fully formal, and one that simply suits your liking. I would’ve liked to say that this would be a oneof-a-kind brand, but nothing really is in this modern day. So, what I would confidently say is that it is a reflection of itself within other works, and what it offers is the focus on the luxury of simply living. TB: How do you design? What form do your earliest ideas for a collection take? DS: I can easily say that I design when I’m within an
artistic setting: be it when I am listening to music, watching TV or attending an art gallery. Any given setting that would involve creativity, or just a day full of new events or productive experiences, would always have me come back home with a rush of ideas. I truly believe that spending a lot of time with other people helps me put together a collection in my head, as that is usually the earliest stage of my design process. Being with people and interacting with them strongly aids me in envisioning the collection, the editorial, and really just the whole gist of it. After having that sort of brainstorming, I slowly start breaking down my vision into smaller parts in order to focus on them, always starting with the mood and aesthetic of the message I am trying to convey. Then, I start gathering research to understand what might mix with what, combining the mental vision with the material approach, but constantly keeping in mind the message I hope to communicate and picking out elements that might support this message as much as possible, be it through prints, colors, fabrics, textiles, cuts, etc. Frankly, conversational aspects are what make my idea turn into a concrete one: it is when I say it out loud that it turns from vision to reality. But it is only when I start seeing materials and investigating them that I initiate the true process of my end result. TB: Could you tell us a little bit about some of the upcoming projects for your label? DS: One of the most recent ideas that has occurred to
me is largely supported by the fact that I was moving houses. When I was moving, I came across a few things that I had kept from PCA and I had swiftly put together what I would do with what I had found. What I can say at the time being is that it’s going to be 100% recycled and sustainable. It’s going to have it all, with a large emphasis on ALL .§
@daisysleiman | @dnrbydaisy 93