Jenn Lee:
SS 2025 Collection 

1st October 2024

By Bonnie McGhee

When explaining her inspiration for the collection, Lee recalls a regular afternoon in her life. On the balcony of her house, with a small stream of sun she saw a grandma riding a bicycle to transport her granddaughter home. Lee lit up explaining this moment. Even though it seems ordinary, what she took from this was that “normal life can be so beautiful”. From this beauty, she expanded on her fascination of how daily life is often “carefree”; we are not living every moment thinking it could hold any significance. 

Lee wanted this “carefree feelling” to be the foundation of her collection and so, when sketching the initial designers, Lee and her design assistants would only draw on “each [piece of] paper for 15 seconds”. She explained that by using this technique, they felt they could create with “no rules”, which allowed the collection to be at its most “playful”. We see this reflected in Lee’s collection; the simpler silhouette of the pieces are complemented by the statement headpieces and jewellery. 

Jenn Lee, 2024

To craft these headpieces, Lee explains how she collaborated with a French embroidery artist, who used a hot couture technique for the hat pieces, as seen in the show’s opening look. This came from the practice of Chinese calligraphy, a very “serious cultural” practice. To complement the collection's “carefree” theme with this more serious tradition, Lee used “furry materials” alongside the traditional embroidery. 

Whilst the brand has a signature colour palette of black and red, two striking colours which certainly capture the radical nature of Lee’s designs, this year’s SS25 collection saw the introduction of faded greens and purples. Lee felt this was the best way to “challenge herself” because she didn’t want to continue in her “comfort zone” of red and black. Not only do I believe this was a strategic way to distinguish between her SS24 Collection, it emphasises the importance of a consistently open artistic mind. 

When asked what the hardest part of creating her collection was, Lee’s first thought was the need to “balance the commercial [demands] and the artistic” elements. Whilst she enjoys crafting more dramatic items, Lee understands that her work does not exist in a vacuum and that a commercial appeal must also be seen in her work. 

In contrast, when asked her favourite part of making this collection, Lee explains that she “could not pick one part” because “she loves everything” in the process of designing. As Lee understands, in a world where artists need to balance their creative ideas with a commercial understanding, it is a refreshing fact that designers like Jenn Lee still harbour so much love and appreciation for their work. Lee hopes that the collection “can influence people in a positive way” then she will feel nothing but gratitude.

The Collection.

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