A legend returns

The chances are that when you hear the words ‘Hervé Léger’, an image immediately comes to mind: a woman, more than likely a ’90s supermodel, radiant and looking incredible clad in one of the label’s body-skimming bandage dresses. And you wouldn’t be alone. “My earliest memories of the label are the backstage videos of the supermodels chatting about how sexy they felt in the dresses, and Karen Mulder saying, ‘They always fit,’” says Christian Juul Nielsen, speaking from the label’s headquarters in New York. As the freshly appointed Creative Director of the storied fashion house, Juul Nielsen is the man responsible for taking its fabulously rich heritage and channeling it into something that feels modern and relevant for today’s woman.

The word iconic gets thrown around a lot in the fashion world, but those high-impact dresses – not to mention the designer responsible from dreaming them up – are genuinely worthy of the label. “It’s great to carry a legend forward,” says Juul Nielsen of the task of reimagining them and their influence for a new generation. “Working for a brand with an iconic history is a great base for building new collections. The foundation is always there, which leaves space to be creative every season, rather than searching for an identity.” That the foundation is a clever mix of strong and sexy makes the task even more appealing.

Feminine, confident and powerful are the words that the label lives by; it’s how Juul Nielsen and his team think about everything from the woman that the collections are designed for to how they want her to feel when she slips them on. The SS19 collection, Juul Nielsen’s debut, blends the requisite glamour with sporty overtones and a youthful cool; the bandage effect is still very much in evidence but in more relaxed – albeit super-short – tank shapes or long-sleeved minis. The striped stretchy pencil skirts and cropped tops are ripe for pairing with undone hair and flat sandals by day and something more high octane by night. And if you’re hunting for a statement-making gown, then the long, tasseled affairs will certainly do the trick.

It’s a combination that’s already won over the likes of Lupita Nyong’o, Bella Hadid and Constance Wu, all of whom have already been spotted wearing pieces from the collection. And no wonder: “Hervé Léger celebrates the female body; it’s a base that is always current,” says Juul Nielsen. It’s hard to argue with that.