Fashion & Beauty

The Colors of Sies Marjan

A colorful, comprehensive volume documenting the short-lived but highly influential work of Sander Lak’s beloved and now cult fashion brand, Sies Marjan.

Known for its evocative use of color, proportion, and subversive fabrication, the New York–based fashion house Sies Marjan, founded in 2016 by Dutch creative director Sander Lak, had a brief but influential life. Although it shut its doors in 2020, Sies Marjan made a permanent mark on the fashion scene. Pieces were characterized by luxurious construction, the signature use of shining, jewel-toned hues, and effortlessly cool appeal—the house’s pastel coats, thrown over T-shirts, are still regularly seen in downtown New York. Since its founding, Sies Marjan has garnered a devoted fan base and praise from notable critics, celebrities, and fans alike in a city known for its endless affection for a darker palette.

Rejecting the chronologies and seasonality of the typical fashion compendium, this exhaustive, richly illustrated volume is organized purely by color. The trajectory through the color spectrum traces the journey through the blazing life of the brand. Images featured within range from previously unpublished looks from iconic runway shows, and ad campaigns to found objects that reveal the inspiration behind the creation of these luxurious, chromatic garments. The flow of color is punctuated by a number of interviews and reflections from Marc Jacobs, Donna Tartt, Isabella Rossellini, Rem Koolhaas, Hanya Yanagihara, and others.
 

About The Author

Sander Lak is the creative director of Sies Marjan. Elizabeth Peyton is a celebrated American artist. She is represented by Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels; Sadie Coles HQ, London; Regen Projects, Los Angeles; and Neugerriemschneider, Berlin. Rem Koolhaas is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist, and professor in practice of architecture and urban design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.
 

  • Publish Date: November 15, 2022
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Category: Design - Fashion & Accessories
  • Publisher: Rizzoli
  • Trim Size: 7 x 10
  • Pages: 400
  • US Price: $65.00
  • CDN Price: $85.00
  • ISBN: 978-0-8478-7220-6

Reviews

"In its four years of existence, the New York City-based fashion label Sies Marjan cultivated a legion of devotees with its vibrant designs. When the brand suddenly closed in the summer of 2020, the city’s fashion landscape lost some of its color. A newly published tome by the brand’s founder and designer, Sander Lak, offers up a remedy of sorts in the form of 300 photographs, including snapshots from the runway and ad campaigns, behind the scenes moments and other mood board miscellany under the title “The Colors of Sies Marjan.”...For readers and fans, this book will likewise delight and inspire." —NEW YORK TIMES

"The Colors of Sies Marjan, out November 15 and published by Rizzoli, uses the color spectrum to trace the Sies Marjan journey from its founding in 2016 through a range of previously unpublished drawings, looks from iconic runway shows and campaigns." —PAPER

"The Colors of Sies Marjan is a 400-page love letter to a brand that burned quickly and brightly, leaving behind only pretty colors." —HIGHSNOBIETY

"Although collections filled with the brand’s signature evocative use of color, proportion, and subversive fabrication are no longer produced, one way to continue to soak up some sartorial inspiration from the designer is through a new book hitting shelves and coffee tables Oct. 18. Titled The Colors of Sies Marjan, Lak teamed with the luxury book publisher Rizzoli to visually chart his tenure." —GRAZIA USA

"To fully understand the magic of the now-defunct New York fashion label Sies Marjan is to dissect its creative director Sander Lak’s deep appreciation of colour. Unlike typical New Yorkers, who favour wearing black and other darker shades, Sies Marjan’s philosophy of embracing wild and wonderful shades to uplift, surprise and inspire was highly influential, despite its brief duration. Two years since the label was shuttered...Lak has chronicled the bright, but short-lived journey of Sies Marjan in a book, The Colors of Sies Marjan, published by Rizzoli...Filled with photographs from behind the scenes, editorial spreads and other documentary images, The Colors of Sies Marjan captures the hard work, creativity and artistry that goes into building a label, seen from Lak’s unique perspective. Bright, bold and beautiful, it exquisitely captures the raw energy that fuelled the label during its abbreviated lifetime." —WALLPAPER*

"Despite shutting its doors mid-pandemic after only five years in business, Sies Marjan still remains one of fashion’s most admired houses. Here, Sies Marjan chronicles the story of his ephemeral brand, championing the jewel-toned color palette that the brand became known and celebrated for. The stunning volume also includes insights from industry leaders (and loyal fans), like Marc Jacobs, Isabella Rossellini, and more." —NEW YORK MAGAZINE

 "Sies Marjan is making a fashionable return — though not in the way you’d expect. The now-closed New York-baed luxury brand is coming back to fashion with a new photography book by Rizzoli, which will be released in November. Created by the label’s designer, Sander Lak, with additional contributions by Marc Jacobs and architect Rem Koolhaas, The Colors of Sies Marjan will include 400 pages documenting the brand’s colorful presence on the American fashion scene from 2016-2020. The cult-favorite label was favored for its experimental textures, silhouettes and effortless luxe; in fact, its hit ombre silk shirts and trousers are still beloved as whimsical two-piece outfits today. Similarly, the book is organized by shades in the color spectrum, including previously unseen glimpses at design sketches and a range of the label’s runway shows and ad campaigns." —FOOTWEAR NEWS

"14 Best Art Books of 2022 - Though the technicolor dreamcoat fashion that was Sies Marjan was short-lived (the brand was only in business from 2016-2020), this 400-page tome proves that creative director Sander Lak’s cult following will live forever. This book might as well be a Pantone fan, with its pages and pages of endlessly inspiring electric color palettes." —GQ

Author Bookshelf: Marc Jacobs