Mali Marciano acknowledges that her quarantine situation is a very lucky one. The creative director of Le Kasha, a luxury loungewear brand her family founded in Paris in 1918, left France for Tel Aviv before the lockdowns in Europe began. She is currently settled in a home by the ocean, with a view of the water that she says “keeps her calm and inspired.” Marciano says that during the last few weeks she’s “been busy working, training, drawing, cooking, reading, listening to music, and catching up with friends.” Like all of us, she is anxious and concerned for the future, but attempting to find comfort in creativity. She’s using the time to slow down just a little and assess everything that she’s rebuilt and revamped for her family’s 100-year-old label over the four years that she’s been in charge.
Her newest collections are modern interpretations of luxe, minimal basics in earthy, buttery tones: cashmere joggers and sweaters, airy linen suiting and dresses, as well as tees and slips. Le Kasha’s cashmere is made on an eco-farm in inner Mongolia, while some pieces are designed using 100% silk and 100% linen. Their process of design and manufacturing is slow and thoughtful, just as it’s always been. At one point in their history, Le Kasha even provided cashmere to Coco Chanel for her very first collection of suiting. These are the kinds of conscious, comfortable clothes that you want to live in 24/7.
This brand of loungewear, in general, seems to be top of mind for the style-obsessed who are currently quarantined at home like Marciano. The way that she sees it, people want to “feel very comfortable but also elegant.” She adds, “I personally don’t want to feel like I’m wearing pajamas all day. I tend to go for neutral colors and light silks or cashmere fabrics that feel like a second skin.” In addition to comfort, the idea of adopting a more minimalist style for home, especially in the current climate, can provide a sense of serenity, even escapism. “You can wear them on your sofa but also picture yourself wearing them on a holiday, on an adventure, or to an event that you’re looking forward to in the future.” Marciano hopes that her designs bring this sense of dreaminess and joy to those who wear them at home. She also hopes that for now, as she is willing herself to do by the Tel Aviv seaside, we can wake up each morning, get dressed in the clothes we cherish the most, and take time to “try and live in a different rhythm.”
Source: Vogue.com
