Laura Lees looms large

Partnered with electro musician George Demure, Laura Lees brings a special mélange of music and art to embroidered fashion, as emphasised by her recent show for S/S 08 collection Femme Fatale. As models sashayed, Demure MCed and sang with back-up from Lola of punk-funkers Spektrum.

The soundtrack combined Demure originals with the Beach Boys’ Help Me Rhonda, THE LOOK club-night fave Always In the Kitchen At Parties by Jona Lewie and Christine’s Tune (Devil In Disguise) by the Flying Burrito Bros.

“All my collections are inspired by music; it’s a massive influence on me, always has been,” says Laura, who was an artist before entering the fashion world via commissions for her “graffiti embroidery” from Luella Bartley, Mrs Jones and Giles Deacon.

//Laura Lees//

The collection which marked her entrée into London Fashion Week a couple of years back, Western Day Of The Dead, was inspired by Gram Parsons (whose Flying Burrito Brothers sported the intricately embroidered suits of Nudie “The Rodeo Tailor” Cohn).

//Gram Parsons (top left) with the Burritos in Nudie Cohn embroidered suits//

Having supplied customised guitar straps for The Strokes and created a tour jacket for THE LOOK contributor and Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, Laura has also designed the cover of a Lemon Jelly album and created Demure’s stagewear.

//Demure’s shirtback by Laura Lees//

In the fine tradition of many of the musical and design partnerships explored in THE LOOK, Laura and George’s is a deeply creative exchange.

//George Demure & The Demurettes//

“George and I influence each other on a daily basis,” says Laura. “When I was working into the wee small hours on the last show, George was in his studio next door, keeping me company. The track he wrote one evening had the same energy as the dress I was making and was the natural choice for the show’s finale. How creepy is that?!”

Find out more about Laura Lees, and her range of clothes at Topshop.

Listen to some George Demure.

Read about the Flying Burrito Bros’ collaboration with Nudie Cohn in chapter 12 of THE LOOK.