Prints on Plaid and our Interview with Simon Ungless

December 13, 2024

Selections from the new Prints on Plaid collection

Lace is not only a virtuosic craft, but a visual network—a form of interconnection. I wanted a romantic feel for our new collection, Series No. 24, and lace would serve as a catalyst of lyrical beauty and collaboration: I’m honored to have had the opportunity to collaborate on a group of one-of-a-kind, screenprinted pieces with my mentor and friend, designer Simon Ungless, which swiftly sold out!

Today, we're so excited to launch Prints on Plaid, our second collection with Simon. Each handprinted and one-of-a-kind, these graphic pieces continue our exploration--and reinterpretation--of lace. We welcome you to shop these singular pieces this weekend Maison Lan Jaenicke, and as part of our festive Holiday Party this Saturday evening from 5-7 PM.

We also wanted to share a deeper delve into the creation of this inspired collection. Simon is of course legendary as a member of the original team at McQueen, a renowned textile artist in his own right, and founder of the new, sustainability-focused brand When Simon met Ralph. Most recently, Simon consulted on the development of Atelier Jolie, Angelina Jolie's new creative fashion collective, and was its inaugural artist-in-residence.

I was very fortunate to be a student of Simon’s almost two decades ago in the MFA program at Academy of Art, where he was director of the fashion program, and he has continued to be supportive ever since. It’s extraordinary to now come full circle and to collaborate with him.

We convened at his studio in Sausalito, exploring the possibilities for printing on a selection of our new garments. I provided various lace pieces from my collection to use for patterns, from these, Simon either used the lace as a stamp, directly applying pigment on garments as a mono print, or created a silkscreen from the lace, allowing him to create a repeatable pattern. Mono prints and silkscreen prints were applied directly onto pieces that I had designed specifically for this purpose, and upon selected signature pieces.

We also employed a third technique which partially removes color from dyed silk, leaving a lace pattern in surprising, complementary colors on swaths of fabric. I then designed finished pieces integrating the unique print.

Simon printed every garment by hand, making each a one-of-a-kind.

I’m delighted to share some of our visit to the studio, where Simon discussed his philosophy and process with our Alisa Carroll.

The Interview

AC: Would you share the story of your and Lan’s first meeting?

SU: As the first Director of Fashion at Academy of Art, I helped developed the program. It was growing and building reputation, and we were attracting some really interesting students. It was very clear what Lan wanted to do. She was very clear on what her focus was—she was quite hungry for information, committed, and hardworking!

AC: Would you kindly paint a picture of your collaboration? What was the spirit of the partnership? How did you merge your aesthetics?

SU: I've always thought that Lan's proportions and silhouettes would make for a perfect canvas for my printmaking. The contrast of luxury of cashmere juxtaposed with the rawness of silk screen is something I am drawn to in my work, so when Lan asked if I would be interested to collaborate it was a no-brainer for me. My work has always been somewhat aggressive in nature so to work within a realm of something softer and more refined was an exciting challenge for me.

AC: Would you take us behind the scenes of the making of the pieces?

SU: I have to know a garment before I can work with it. Pieces hang in my studio for a few days to a few weeks so that I can build a narrative for the garment and build a story in my head of who will be wearing it. Because I have known Lan a long time, I understand her creative aesthetic and have an understanding of her customers, it was easier to build the narrative for print.

I wanted to honor Lan's aesthetic while also staying true to my own vision in terms of printmaking. Each piece is considered, folded as if being worn and in movement and then printed through a silk screen. I took motifs from the collection such as lace to create the screens. My goal was to make each garment look like it had gently touched a wet print surface—not overwhelm each garment with print.

"My goal was to make each garment look like it had gently touched a wet print surface—not overwhelm each garment with print."

The final results debuted at our Series No. 24 show at the Transamerica Pyramid, Under the Redwoods. The vision of a Romantic collection was brought exquisitely to life, copper and green, crimson and black, all interlacing beneath ancient trees.