Sander Lak says he is taking a measured approach to building Sanderlak, the genderless fashion brand he launched in 2025 with backing from angel investors. Speaking at WWD’s Apparel and Retail CEO Summit, he described how earlier roles and a period away from fashion informed his new venture.
Before founding Sies Marjan in 2016, Lak worked for Phillip Lim, Balmain and Dries Van Noten. He said those 10 to 12 years gave him time to learn from other people’s experience before starting a business of his own, and helped shape the company he eventually built.
Lak’s childhood across Brunei, Malaysia, Gabon, Scotland and the Netherlands also influenced how he handles change. In conversation with WWD style director Alex Badia, he said moving between countries and cultures taught him to adapt and made unfamiliar environments feel normal.
Sies Marjan closed during the pandemic, after which Lak took what he called a five-year break from fashion. He spent that time on other creative work, including the book “The Colors of Sies Marjan,” a screenplay, a graphic novel and an ongoing furniture collaboration with textile house Maharam. He said fashion remained his first love.
Lak described Sanderlak as a different kind of undertaking, informed by lessons from his earlier business. He said he has focused on raising money from angel investors and keeping the operation lean, with a small full-time team and two collections a year on the men’s calendar. The label is now four collections in, and Lak opened its first long-term pop-up, with office and showroom space, this summer.
He said he wants to give the business time to develop and has not yet staged a fashion show, despite having presented large shows in the past. For Lak, enjoying the process is part of the work: he said that enjoyment can carry through into the product and the experience of the person who buys it.
Asked what advice he would give young designers starting out, Lak urged graduates to be hungry, keep costs low and pursue opportunities.
Sources: WWD.