Unique by Mode City and Paris Capitale de la Création will award the Designer of the Year prize to iconic Brazilian brand Lenny Niemeyer during the upcoming Unique by Mode City show, which will take place on 7-9 July in Paris. Since 1991, this brand has offered swimwear collections featuring sophisticated shapes, with matching ranges of Couture accessories and textile goods. With each passing season, Lenny Niemeyer enchants us with her uniquely chic and glamorous style and exclusive, colorful prints.
From her background as a renowned landscape architect, Lenny brings her love of nature which infuses her prints; from her “Paulista” origins, comes her entrepreneurial spirit. Over the years, Lenny has become a true “Carioca” fashion legend. Lenny Niemeyer began her career as a designer in 1979, creating swimwear lines for famous Brazilian brands.
Her marriage to neurosurgeon Paulo Niemeyer, nephew of legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, and their subsequent move to Rio moved her away from her landscape design clients. “In São Paulo at the end of the 1970s, beachwear was still quite conservative, so everyone looked to Carioca designs for their most innovative styles”, states Lenny Niemeyer. “My friends in São Paulo were always asking me to bring back bikinis for them, and I said to myself, ‘Why not give it a try?’”.
In 1991, she decided to launch her own namesake brand, and opened her first boutique at Ipanema. Ever since, she has transformed Brazilian beachwear style forever. With her great eye for quality fabrics, Lenny Niemeyer focuses on comfort and beautiful drape in her pieces. Her couture universe includes swimsuits in stretch knit, and beachwear lines in linen, silk, crepe, or georgette, and her runway shows at Sao Paulo Fashion Week receive rave reviews from global fashionistas.
A chat with Lenny Niemeyer…
You are the Unique by Mode City Designer of the Year. What does this mean to you?
This award is so very important for us, because it raises the profile of the Brazilian fashion market. This is one of the most significant and marvelous international recognitions we have received over the past 30 years!
Could you describe the creative process you undergo for your collections?
My collections start with a trip, a legend, a film, a place, an artwork… everything inspires me! This year, my inspiration came from nature. My creative process is a group project. Each of us adds our own ideas, based on a brief. This is a long process that requires many meetings and lots of research.
You’re sometimes referred to as the “Architect of the Bikini” because of your career path and last name. How do you feel about this?
Drawing on my architectural roots, I design pieces, then finalize them on female models so that my creations adapt to all body types.
What is your overall brand strategy for the European market? And for the worldwide market?
We want to be in the top department stores as well as the most beautiful multibrand boutiques in the most iconic Fashion Capitals of the world. We also want to be known as one of the most sophisticated beachwear brands in the world.
Could you reveal a few details about your upcoming Summer 2019 collection?
My inspiration comes from nature, living, ever- changing nature. We’ll be revealing this new collection at our fashion show on April 25th, as part of Fashion Week in São Paulo.
