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A Life in Extreme Style: Michèle Lamy

The singular personality joined BoF’s editor-at-large Tim Blanks at VOICES to discuss her nomadic approach to creative pursuits.
Tim Blanks and Michèle Lamy | Source: Getty Images for The Business of Fashion
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  • Rachel Strugatz
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OXFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom — Michèle Lamy defies categorisation and convention in all facets of her life, not least of all on stage at VOICES, BoF's annual gathering for big thinkers in partnership with QIC Global Real Estate. She joined BoF's editor-at-large Tim Blanks to discuss her open, nomadic approach to life, which has yielded some of the most fascinating creative collaborations in fashion in recent decades.

Known primarily as an entrepreneur and producer, Lamy is perhaps best described as a catalyst of experimentation, whether in partnership with her husband Rick Owens or Gareth Pugh, or through her personal passion project, Lamyland — more a state of mind than anything else — which debuted during Frieze London in 2014 with a barge on the Regent's Canal. In January, Lamyland landed at Selfridges in the form of a boxing gym installation filled with product created for the occasion by Versace, Supreme and more brands.

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“I am curious, I liked to be seduced,” said Lamy. “I am seduced by a lot of things.”

A boring life... That's extreme.

She was eager to bring Lamyland to VOICES, too. On Thursday night at Soho Farmhouse, Lamy and the photographer Paul Kooiker set up a studio and invited attendees to pose for the camera. Their images — photographs of headless bodies — were compiled into a book titled, Genius You, the first stages of an ongoing project.

“It’s [about] the attitude to be human,” said Lamy, explaining that she and Kooiker are taking the setup on the road. “We don’t know where it’s going.”

In many ways, the road is Lamy’s home. She told Blanks that she feeds off of the sense of belonging she feels in different cities all around the world.

When asked if she is drawn to extremes, Lamy was defiant, explaining that her life is fuelled by a desire “to try, to stand up, to say that it is.” What scares her? A boring life, she said. “That’s extreme.”

Editor's Note: This article was revised on 7 December, 2018. An earlier version of this article misstated that Lamyland debuted at Selfridges in January. This is incorrect. Lamyland debuted at Frieze London 2014 with a barge on the Regent's Canal.

To learn more about VOICES, BoF's annual gathering for big thinkers, visit our VOICES website, where you can find all the details on our invitation-only global gathering, in partnership with QIC Global Real Estate.

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