Cashmere has many attractive attributes, but the simple, solid-coloured sweater has long been a staple in the uniform of affluence from brands such as Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli because it is a discreet luxury that only really reveals itself when touched.
This is the gap in the market that siblings Edouard and Andrea Leret spotted when they created the eco-conscious brand LERET LERET in 2019. With one basic premise: to make cashmere fun, they saw the potential of the fairly new technology of knitting graphics with cashmere.
Their sweaters are inspired by their 11 years in New York City and a lifetime of travel, displaying colourful abstractions of real-world items like record players, flowers, a pizza slice, mosaic designs, and patterns.
Born in Paris and raised in Caracas, the duo grew up stealing sweaters from their parents’ wardrobes, and fell in love with cashmere as children. Their father who is French, and mother who is from Venezuela, would introduce their sartorial taste to their children.
Following their own careers in fashion—she at Carolina Herrera and Jason Wu, and he at Brooklyn designer Alex Crane, they then started to work on the brand in 2018 after a chance meeting with a cashmere supplier in Mongolia - home to the world’s most coveted goats. While all of the top cashmere designers source their cashmere in Mongolia, the fibre is often exported to Italy to be knit and manufactured. Leret Leret’s sweaters, however, are produced entirely in Mongolia, by people who know the material best. The designs are intarsia-knit into the sweaters, which is more difficult to construct than the solid colour.
Perfecting the fit took the most time because Edouard and Andrea really wanted a relaxed fit. Slightly slouchy, with a dropped shoulder and crewneck. Comfortable and roomy yet a flattering cut that fits everyone. Genderless and ageless for people to wear however they want..
Each design is numbered and released in a limited edition of around 300 pieces. They have an ongoing series of collaborations that the brand refers to as ‘artist interventions.’ For their first, the Leret’s offered up their signature sweater silhouette as a canvas for Angelica Hicks, the British illustrator. Despite also creating a beanie for them, for now the focus is still on the crewneck, but they want to dive into other things soon.
By Anna Bance
July 2022
