Leathergoods from Yu Mei’s new Marmont collection. Images supplied.
Yu Mei’s chic new collection called Marmont has arrived in stores and online with the leathergoods brand drawing inspiration from the iconic Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. The fabled hotel is steeped in old Hollywood glamour and is a fascinating jumping off point for Yu Mei’s latest range which shares it’s inspiration’s charming allure and textural decadence.
Creative director and founder Jessie Wong has an eye for beautiful and unexpected colours and this new range offers luscious tones of emerald green and velvety cognac which contrast with vibrant acidic lime and bright orange. While the collection reflects the rich heritage of Chateau Marmont, Yu Mei also reference the fun and playfulness that is synonymous with the hotel.
The Chateau has a unique place in LA’s history and its castle-like exterior has looked over Sunset Boulevard since 1929. From early on it’s been a magnet for Hollywood society and has kept drawing in the young and old alike ever since. Translated into Yu Mei’s new collection that similar appeal feels both familiar and fresh. The brand have reimagined favourite styles in stunning new textures like a sleek ‘croc’ that references the checkerboard grass of the Chateau’s terrace. New shapes for Yu Mei include the Suki (a petite box clutch style) and the Milly (a compact mini-tote), which offer more structured styles to the range and are versatile and modern.
These new styles reflect the evolving Yu Mei woman who now encompasses high-flying executives, mothers and jet setters as well as the previous patron saints of the university library in whom Yu Mei first found an audience. The brand see the Yu Mei woman as modern and global. “We design for ourselves because we are our customers,” says founder Jessie Wong. “Yu Mei has always had a strong focus on design by women, for women. We are a brand for every woman.”
The campaign for the new Marmont range was shot on location by Ch’lita Collins and Jessie Wong at Chateau Marmont and features model Leila Rahimi with styling by Isabelle Papile. It beautifully captures the modern Yu Mei woman and the appealing new range in a playful yet confident way.
Marmont is available online and at Yu Mei’s stockists as well as at the brand’s Wellington Yu Mei Lounge which opened a while back. After several successful pop-ups in Auckland they will also be opening an Auckland flagship Yu Mei Lounge at the the Commercial Bay precinct at the end of March.
Images supplied.