LET’S face it, everyone is pretty much sick and tired of the push-and-pull routine that the world has gone through for the past two years.
If we look at the local fashion scene alone, not much was conceived, aside from coming up with innovative masks – it ultimately was less about ‘fashion’ and more about practicality.
Truthfully, the situation is proving to be seriously stale and the opposite of why fashion is seen as an expression of art to begin with.
The post-pandemic state of the creatives among us can only be evaluated by the projects that they manage to work on under strict protocols to sustain themselves in such mundanity. For this latest collection, we are happy to see that imagination still thrives.
Decoding the space age
Alluding to the futuristic glamour of sci-fi movies, designer Lee Khoon Hooi has put together a collection of galactic and celestial looks where feminine forms and bubble shapes intrigue a fantasy of what ‘occasion dressing’ in space would be like.
This season, the designer presents silhouettes that play on the idea of glamour in an interstellar journey through the universe, culminating in a collection of heavenly gowns, stunning dresses and easy-to-wear separates.
They are combined with intriguing details that capture the magnificence of celestial wonders through dazzling colour choices, as well as nebulae formations.
Representations of space rockets and planets are also expressed in retro voluminous balloon hemlines seen on a variety of evening looks created for the line.
“This collection is purely an imaginative one. Anything that I am able to take (inspiration) from the cosmos, I interpreted it into the collection,” shares the Malaysian designer, when met at his boutique in APW Bangsar recently.
“The whole process to create the collection took us about four months to complete. Of course, the collection plays on a lot of volume, colour and embellishments to deliver the theatrics of the idea well,” he added.
All in the details
From lamé to futuristic two-toned taffeta and galaxy-like sequins, the material (in fabric and colour palette) options that this collection boasts, carries an illuminating shine to represent the galaxy’s cosmic shades from milky dusk to tangerine dawn and deepest, bluest midnight. Mirroring the theme are constellation-inspired beading and star burst motifs.
Among the hero pieces are ‘Maia’, ‘Luna’, ‘Ophelia’ and ‘Gaia’.
Noting that the release for the collection actually began earlier in the year, the couturier highlighted that it didn’t get enough attention because of the slowdown in operations due to the pandemic.
Sharing that the label is very well represented in the Middle East, where the presence can be seen in major cities such as Dubai, Doha, and Kuwait, “... we even have our Spring/Summer 2022 line released to customers already, which is doing well in comparison but because the current collection in question had the hiccups of the lockdown in the way, we thought why not give it a little boost of attention since – domestically – things are starting to go back to normal."
“Pivoting things online started prior to the outbreak where the change wasn’t so abrupt for us.
“Definitely the business model has changed for the team here given the experience the pandemic brought, and what inspires me to push ahead as a fashion designer is to be more optimistic in the approaches,” he added. – The Vibes, October 17, 2021
