Meet Ed Lee, the Former Bottega Clothier Who Helped Harry Types Turn out to be His Glance

The entirety Harry Types wears turns into information fodder. Whether or not he’s rocking a get dressed or a Halloween gown, his fearless sartorial statements simplest manufacture him extra cute within the ocular of his ever-growing fan bottom. It’s essential argue his taste is what he’s develop into recognized for lately—pre-Don’t Fear Darling press excursion, no less than—however OG fans are mindful that Types’ penchant for style started a lot previous than that.

Harry Types in 2013.

Within the early days of One Path, the place Types were given his get started, Tumblr used to be the social platform the place so-called “Directioners” discovered public and jointly obsessed over the British boy band. Even I had a Tumblr devoted to the junction of 1D and style. (Take a look at me now!) This actual crossroad of pursuits used to be now not unusual. Each article of clothes impaired via the men can be singled out, documented, critiqued, and restyled via numerous lovestruck youngsters on blogs and fan accounts matching.

To position it it appears that evidently, style wasn’t at all times Types’ factor. His preliminary uniform of khakis, ordinary white tees, and blazers morphed into ultra-skinny denims, realistic to life T-shirts, and hats because the band and its lovers elderly. From its inception in 2010 to its (appalling) death in 2016, every of 1D’s individuals underwent his personal style evolution. Types’ sartorial travel since going solo? It may possibly’t be omitted.

“If we’re talking about Harry Styles, we have to talk about Harry Lambert,” says fashion designer Ed Lee, referencing the fame stylist well-known for dressing the Grammy-winning artist. Lee labored with “The Harrys” again in 2014, when Lambert first began styling the singer. He had simply graduated from London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins when Lambert reached out to utility the younger fashion designer’s items for editorial shoots. “I was freaking out,” Lee recollects. “For a second, I thought, Was that a spam email?” Quickly later, Lambert set to work with Types—and he didn’t oppose coming to Lee.

When One Path carried out on Saturday Evening Are living in December 2014, Lambert pulled one in every of Lee’s shirts for Types to put on, and Tumblr ate it up. “That was like the biggest news for me that year. It was epic for me.”

Harry Types wears a floral blouse via Ed Lee year acting with One Path on Saturday Evening Are living in 2014.

Lee humbly says he “guesses” Types used to be “pretty happy” with the blouse, as a result of later that, Lambert requested him to design a complete closet of choices for the superstar. Lee dug into his expansive number of discarded, recycled, and upcycled textiles to take action.

Relating to design, Lee values fluidity and open-minded pondering. A insufficiency of tension, he says, is a foundational a part of his method. “I believe the textiles speak to me,” he stocks. His procedure starts with the material. Sooner than he thinks about sketching, draping, or reducing, the fabric is paramount. “I believe you need to feel comfortable. That’s the first thing for me in designing. Then, on top of that, you have visual effects…but before that, it’s all about comfort,” Lee emphasizes. “The touch of the garment is very important to me.”

“There was one shirt I really liked that [Styles] chose to wear for a gig in the Philippines,” he says. “It was a print I designed just for him for [the occasion]. It’s kind of tropical, it’s yellow; it has this big flower…not a lot of celebrities—not a lot of men—will pick up a bright yellow floral shirt.” If this wasn’t foreshadowing, I don’t know what’s. Harry Types may put on a floral skirt day after today, and it wouldn’t be surprising. His taste alternatives weren’t at all times so eclectic, even though; this used to be when he started to play games with style.

“I was lucky enough to be a part of it,” Lee says. “I was so honored to be chosen by them…from what I know, Harry Styles really has his own style,” Lee feedback, including that the then-burgeoning pop superstar may have felt restricted via the expectancies poised for boy bands on the age, however he nonetheless discovered tactics to experiment inside the ones parameters.

Harry Types acting as a headliner on the 2022 Coachella Valley Track And Arts Competition.

“Now, he’s found his own voice and finally gets to dress in whatever he wants; [he has] the liberty of dressing up, to express himself,” Lee stocks. “I know him; he’s always been that stylish. He has his own vision in fashion.”

So, what used to be it about Lee that attracted Lambert and Types? “I think all three of us really appreciate the fluidity of gender,” Lee poses. “We all try to avoid the gender stereotypes of dressing.” This actual logo of avoidance doesn’t manifest as a complete rejection of conventional menswear, Lee clarifies. It’s now not an “aggressive” method of fashion denial, if you are going to. “We just feel more fluid and natural between this so-called ‘femininity’ and ‘masculinity.’” That is obvious for Types, who has famously have shyed away from labeling himself or his taste by any means, construction his logo at the birthday party of all identities.

“I think Harry Lambert really had faith in me,” Lee says. “He just let me create. He told me he wants something floral. That’s it. That’s the brief.” The fashion designer is going on, “I really, really appreciate that…he was so chill that I thought every stylist would be like that.” Lee laughs, including that Lambert extra one of the easy-to-work-with public that he’s encountered since.

This content material is imported from youTube. You could possibly to find the similar content material in any other structure, otherwise you could possibly to find additional info, at their internet website online.

Types isn’t Lee’s simplest well-known shopper, both. Kate Moss wore one in every of his fits in a 2014 blast via Tim Walker for British Trend. Lee screams it “another epic moment.” In FKA Twigs’ “Glass & Patron” music video, one of the vital dancers can also be obvious in Ed Lee. “That was another epic moment…I’ve had a few,” Lee admits.

Lee and Lambert’s collaborative courting lasted for approximately a life, with Lambert styling the fashion designer’s first 3 collections ahead of Lee moved to Paris. There, the fashion designer took “learning from the best” to brandnew heights, running with primary labels like Bottega Veneta and Maison Margiela, in addition to with rising manufacturers like Koché. At Maison Margiela’s atelier, Lee reported at once to Matthieu Blazy, who, coincidentally, is now at Bottega Veneta. Petite global.

“Studying menswear for two years, what you learn is pretty classic tailoring, classic styles,” Lee says. “Then I got the chance to work at the Maison Margiela atelier. I really discovered you don’t need to be that stubborn on tailoring. You need to let your mind flow for shapes and silhouettes, and I think that’s what really inspired me.”

Then the atelier, Lee moved to Bottega Veneta to function along Christelle Kocher, who’s now the ingenious director of the Atelier Lemarié of Chanel. When she went on to begin her personal label, Koché, Lee went together with her.

Lee says his id as a fashion designer is the sum of these kinds of studying studies. Now, he’s in a position to use what he’s discovered to his personal collections. So, in 2021, he relaunched his own label, based totally in Shanghai. With formative studies like his, Lee needs to be arrange for good fortune. Assurance to the smart: don’t overlook his identify.

“I would say I have always been quite lucky,” Lee says. “I believe that if you keep positive energy, you will attract similar mindsets. Good energy flows.” And I consider that The Harrys would approve of that message.

Worker Style Trade Essayist

Meg is the Worker Style Trade Essayist at ELLE.com the place she researches tendencies, assessments merchandise, and appears for solutions to your entire burning questions. She additionally co-writes a per month column, Same Same But Different. Meg has prior to now written for Cosmopolitan and Town & Country. Her passions come with go, buffalo sauce, and sustainability. She is going to by no means oppose hoping for a One Path reunion excursion.