Sander Lak of Sies Marjan, “I Want This Brand to Still Exist in 100 Years. That’s the Goal.”

Sander Lak, the buzzy designer behind critically acclaimed label Sies Marjan (pronounced “seas mar-jan”,) swept through Chicago for a cozy evening cocktail reception and fashion presentation Friday night, and presented 12 looks from his Fall 2019 collection at The Gwen for a handful of Nordstrom’s  top-level members of Nordy Club, the retailer’s loyalty program.

Lak debuted Sies Marjan three short years ago during the New York Fashion Week Fall 2016 collections, and since has garnered a loyal fanbase who love his mood-boosting, colorful, comfortable and sensuous clothes. His creativity stems from years spent abroad: He was born in Brunei, but spent his childhood split between Malaysia, Gabon and Scotland, and eventually relocated to the Netherlands. Lak went on to peruse his design aspirations and graduated from Central Saint Martins ’ MA Fashion course under Louise Wilson. He honed in on his design skills while working for  Phillip Lim in New York,  Balmain in Paris, and eventually moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where he would spend five years as head of design at Dries Van Noten. 

Since the debut of Sies Mrajan, Lak’s talent has been recognized by piers and fashion heavyweights alike. At last year’s CFDA Awards, he received the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent, a prize that afforded him the opportunity to team up with the brand. During his Fall 2019 collection, he featured two dresses created with nearly 410,000 crystals.

For Fall 2019, Lak examined feelings and emotions associated with love. Various kinds of love, not just the good, but also the heartbreak and more challenging love, he said.  For example, he loved neon colors once, he said, but had lost his affinity for. He challenged himself to fall back in love with them. He felt the same way about lace — not his favorite material, but once again he challenged himself to work with it and incorporated it on various looks from the collection.

I caught up with the young designer after his Chicago presentation, and below we talk new beginnings, lessons he’s learned from working for top fashion houses, the importance of longevity for a brand, and much more. He is charming and unpretentious and a complete pleasure to speak with.

First of all, welcome to Chicago!

Thank you! So happy to be here.

Is this your first time?

It is. I have only been here one day, but I am coming back in September. I have looked around the city a bit and definitely need to come back for more.

I am just going to jump right in and take you back to the Sies Marjan debut at New York Fashion Week a few seasons ago during the Fall 2016 collections. Talk about the experience and how it helped you launch your brand.

Well, you kind of don’t really know what to even expect in this industry. We really didn’t have the highest hopes. I was just doing the best work that I could do and I was trying my hardest, but there’s no guarantee in this industry. So even if you have all the money in the world or you have no money — it doesn’t really matter. In the end, something connects with people or something doesn’t. And so we were expected to kind of be in a situation where you know maybe it will take us a few years and then we might sort of, you know, have our moment. And that’s what we were hoping for a best case scenario. But then the first show was such an instance hit! And at that time it was the beginning of Instagram being a real vehicle for fashion. There were only  maybe 100 people attending our show. But Instagram just exploded and everyone all over the world was seeing this collection and this show. We we didn’t know what to do with it. We had so many appointments and we had way more orders that we were initially thinking we could even do. So it really grew from there. I don’t think [our success] has necessarily anything to do with my skill set as a designer, I think it’s really just with the connection that these clothes make with people and that people were really hungry for something that is colorful and that was not proposing a deformation of the body but rather [offering]  fabrication and color as a vehicle. And that was very exciting.

It is incredible what you have done for such a short period of time. Now that you have found success, where do you want to take the brand?

We are in a real growth spurt, which is a great thing to happen. But it’s also a very hard thing because you get growing pains. There’re a lot of changes that happen as you grow, and you grow, and you grow, and we’re in this stage now where we have to really focus on what we have. And every season, or every year, we will add to the categories and add  to the world of what Sies Marjan is. We started with literally a handful of clothes, and then we did some clothes and shoes, and then we did some women’s clothes, some men’s clothes, some shoes, and then some accessories.  And it really just kind of started growing from there. And I think that’s really the natural sort of evolution [for us.] We are not forcing anything. We are really just going with the flow and if that means that we’ll grow at a healthy pace  without having an exploding moment, then that’s perfectly fine because we want this to be for the long run. I’m not doing this to just be the flavor of the month.  I want  Sies Marjan to still exist in 100 years. That’s the goal.

You have been nominated several times for a CFDA Award and won in 2018 for Talent of the Year. Congratulations on the Designer of the Year nomination for this year! How has this award changed your brand, your point of view, and why is the CFDA important for young designers?

The CFDA is really important for young designers. Especially in the climate we are in right now. Young designers need goals. One goal is being in the right store;  or getting sort of a grasp on your production.  A goal is getting the right customers, or goal is getting your pricing right, or getting the attention that you need to build your business.  The CFDA is one of those institutions that can really give and help with all of that. So it’s really nice that there are different ways for young brands to put themselves out there. Instagram —  again —  is a great way as well, and I think that’s where young people of today [find] brands that are starting. I think it’s a great time actually. And it’s important that institutions, old institutions like CFDA, are really ahead of the curve and really making these choices and seeing people do great work and celebrate that. That’s what we all need!

Before launching Sies Marjan you spent several years designing for Dries Van Noten. You have also worked for Balmain and Phillip Lim. How did these experiences prepare you for the launch of Sies Marjan?

I did work for a lot of different brands and I did spend  almost nine-ten years working for different people. And what it really prepared me for is that [now] I understand the complications that come with this job. Because I’ve seen people do this job in front of me. I’ve seen people do it well , I’ve seen people do it not so well;  I’ve seen people crash and burn; I’ve seen people thrive.   The creative part is not necessarily the issue. The creative part comes natural. That’s something that just flows, like breathing.  It’s really more the part that requires social skills, and being a boss, and getting attention, and expectations. The growth and how hard that can be. Firing people, and people leaving you.  All of those things. That’s the hard stuff.

Lightning round! Who is your style icon?

Oh. I don’t have that.

Best piece of fashion advice you’ve ever received?

From my teacher at Saint Martins, Louise Wilson, who said, “Stick to what you know and fake it till you make it!”

What is your fantasy purchase?

Oh. I have been eyeing a really, really beautiful Hermes bag. That I cannot afford. But I’m really hoping one day I will be able to. Yes!!

Do you have  a secret cheap-y?

Oh so many! I love fried chicken. I love crappy novels written by The Housewives of Beverly Hills. I love Hermes and I love  the Housewives of Beverly Hills!!

If you were not a fashion designer what would you be?

A filmmaker.

Who would you want to  collaborate with, past or present?

Steven Spielberg, David Fincher. All directors, actually. [laughs]

 

The Sies Marjan Fall 2019 collection is now available for purchase at Nordstrom.

 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. 

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