Lafayette 148’s Pre-Fall 2025 Collection Gets Ceramics Chic

Emily Mercer
·2 min read

Rounding out a year of fashion collections inspired by the craftsmanship of other art mediums, Emily Smith looked to ceramics as the inspiration for Lafayette 148’s texturally rich, yet controlled and refined, pre-fall 2025 collection.

Smith said she was inspired by the similarities between fashion design and pottery processes while collaborating with New York-based artist Yoona Hur on the collection’s one-of-a-kind ceramic pendant jewelry.

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“It was about really learning the process of making ceramics and understanding the true similarities of the unpredictability of creating something that you put in a kiln. When it comes out, it’s not always what it was expected to be; we have the same story of unusual expectations when we make clothes, too,” Smith said of their shared sense of playfulness with experimentation. That translated to glazed finishes on the brand’s well-known leather pieces, such as a stellar short sleeve, deep red napa leather jacket and new pouchette clutches, for example; and to laser-cut details meant to emulate ceramics bubbling and crackling in the kiln on others.

Glazed finishes inspired by the maltinto dyeing technique also came in the form of soft, unevenly colored prints, as on a compelling relaxed summer tailoring look composed of a pearl-hued linen and cotton blend blazer with washed silk pants, or as a delicate, double-layered sheer chiffon lilac frock with a gray silk printed underlayer.

As with her previous three collections, Smith whipped the inspiration into a lineup that celebrated an art form from its initial to final phases. Shades of terracotta clay, gray and brown were present in an assortment of lightweight, nubby knits, as well as in a solid selection of plissé dresses, tops and skirts that emulated carving and coiling techniques. The idea of vase shapes came through on the sculptural sleeves on dresses and sets. Those easy sets, alongside breezy shirting and classic tailoring, married the arts’ shared values of form and function while serving as easy options for summer travel.

Launch Gallery: Lafayette 148 Pre-Fall 2025 Collection

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