LEMAIRE Art Exhibition Tour Arrives in Shanghai: Not Selling Bags, But “Wearable Sculptures”
Galan Editorial TeamViews(65)
If you have recently passed by Wukang Road in Shanghai, you may have noticed a long queue outside a store.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the release of limited edition sneakers, nor is it the opening of a popular online milk tea shop. It’s LEMAIRE – the French minimalist brand, which has brought its “WEARABLE SCULPTURES” exhibition to Shanghai.
Previously, this exhibition had toured Paris, Seoul, and Tokyo. Everywhere it went, fashion enthusiasts, art insiders, and even just curious passersby couldn’t help but stop and take a second look.
This landing in Shanghai is its first visit to mainland China.
What is this exhibition really about? Not bags, but “sculptures”
Many people’s first reaction to hearing “LEMAIRE” is: Oh, that croissant.
Yes, LEMAIRE has indeed been extremely popular in recent years. That soft, dumpling-like, croissant-shaped handbag has almost become a standard for the “quiet luxury” style.
But this exhibition is not about selling bags.
The core focus is on a Chilean artist, CARLOS PEÑAFIEL. He is not a fashion designer by profession, but a self-taught craftsman. He has collaborated with LEMAIRE for more than a decade, and the three bags they have jointly created – Carlos bag, Egg bag, and Naho bag – have long been classic styles of the brand.
What is exhibited in this exhibition is not the “shelf version” of these bags, but handmade sculptures.
In other words, the leather bags you usually touch in the store are the “results” of industrial production. What you see in the exhibition are the “prototypes” created by the artist’s hands – those irregular, asymmetric, and even somewhat bizarre shapes are the true source of LEMAIRE’s aesthetics.
Busts, shells, castanets… These things you can’t imagine can be made into bags have become accessories with both artistic sense and practicality in CARLOS’ hands.
Why is LEMAIRE worth seeing? Because it redefines the concept of “bag”.
To be honest, the fashion circle is too boring now.
Either it’s a “walking billboard” covered with big logos, or it’s a product of the assembly line that changes colors and is claimed to be “new”.
But the collaboration between LEMAIRE and CARLOS takes a completely different approach.
Look at that Egg bag – round and full, like a sliced egg. It’s not “square and upright” like traditional bags, and it even looks a bit strange. But when you wear it, you’ll find that it perfectly fits your body curves, as if it was meant to be there.
This is CARLOS’s core philosophy: style, function, and craftsmanship, all three are indispensable.
He doesn’t draw a design first and then find materials, but rather plays with materials first – pinching with his hands, carving with a knife, sanding with sandpaper, letting the leather “speak” for itself. The final product has both the three-dimensional sense of sculpture and the practicality of a bag.
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In LEMAIRE’s own words: This is not a “bag”, but a “wearable sculpture”.
This exhibition teaches a lesson to the domestic fashion circle
LEMAIRE’s visit to Shanghai is more than just an exhibition.
It is more like a “demonstration”: telling domestic brands, designers, and consumers that good design is not created by piling up logos or hyping up with traffic.
True elegance cannot be concealed.
You can’t see any LEMAIRE logos in CARLOS’s works. But those who understand it will know at a glance: This is LEMAIRE. Because that restraint, gentleness, and handmade texture have been engraved into the brand’s bones.
On the other hand, some domestic brands can’t wait to print their logos all over, as if they’re afraid others won’t know how much money they spent.
LEMAIRE tells you through an exhibition: true luxury is not about letting others know how much money you spent, but about making others not see how much money you spent, but feel that you have good taste.
The exhibition period of LEMAIRE’s Shanghai exhibition will not be too long. If you happen to be in Shanghai or plan to go there, I suggest you take half a day to visit Wukang Road.
You don’t necessarily have to buy anything. Even just going to see those “bags that don’t look like bags”, touching the handmade marks left on the leather, and feeling the shock of “originally bags can be made like this” is worth it.
This is also worth the price of admission.
After all, in this era where everything is about “fast”, there are still people who are willing to slow down and use handmade craftsmanship to carve a bag, which itself is a luxury.
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Information on the LEMAIRE “WEARABLE SCULPTURES” Tour Exhibition:
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Location: LEMAIRE Flagship Store, Wukang Road, Shanghai
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Visiting Suggestion: Make an appointment in advance and avoid the peak on weekends
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