Lauren Perrin

...the creations of Lauren Perrin transport us into a world of 70s Op Art, making bold statements with a fun vibe and a definite engagement to the current need for more sustainable legwear.

Lauren Perrin was born in Bayonne, in south-west France. Intrigued by fashion from an early age she subsequently moved to Paris to study menswear for three years at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and then decided to put herself to the test in London. Here she was able to get jobs as an assistant stylist in fashion, art and culture magazines including Dazed and Confused, and Another Man, experiences which were to prove extremely valuable in identifying a niche market which was not being covered: during the photoshoots there appeared to be a constant lack of intriguing tights and gloves.
Feeling she was missing the designing part of her work and having been forced home due to lockdown, Lauren Perrin took matters into her hands and found it was the opportunity to launch her small independent brand with production focusing on tights and matching gloves with a very distinctive style. After all, tights had always been a favorite and unmissable item in her wardrobe. She created a small collection and look book which she then sent to stylists. She knew it would not be easy, however the break came when stylist Ibrahim Kamara chose two pairs of gloves for a shooting, that got her noticed!
When creating Lauren is fueled by emotions or anything visually captivating which she then immediately has the urge to transform and give shape to through her creations. While the 70s have had a strong influence on her style, music, books, or even someone she sees in the street can spark off her imagination. Her creations are made in her London studio, by herself and her assistant, with an intern completing the team.
From the start Lauren has also focused on sustainability: her creations are handmade and the packaging is eco-friendly using no plastic. She made her ecological standpoint especially clear with her Ocean Waste Tights: “I was in my hometown of Biarritz, the summer after our first lockdown. No one was able to travel, so it was awfully packed and the amount of waste on the beach was mad. I ended up interpreting that by creating a pair of ‘Ocean Waste’ tights and gloves using rubbish that had either been discarded or had washed up on the beach. We’d collected an entire bin bag of plastic waste, which I then cleaned, then sewed onto the garments. Having a strong ecological conscience is central to my brand, so being able to reverse some of the depressing effects of plastic pollution, especially in my hometown, meant a lot to me.”

In the light of this her tights are made from recycled polyester while the thicker ones are in a soft and resistant stretch jersey, as are the gloves. All is hand-made, as orders at the moment allow it. Lauren hopes to be able to keep prices as affordable as possible and still be eco-friendly which can prove quite a challenge she says. Among her future plans, while Lauren insists she wants to remain an independent tights and gloves brand she has a new project to integrate this with a limited garment collection in thick cotton to go with them and which, of course, can be matched!