Saturday February 21, 2009
Fashion revolution
By LOUISA LIM
It’s creativity at its finest as youths indulge their wildest fantasies ... on cloth and paper.
CALL it loopy. Call it fantastical. But this is what happens when youth takes over our fashion world. You may have noticed the trend lately, as colours get brighter and shapes take on newer, edgier proportions.
“I’m happy with how creative our young designers are getting,” says Shaiful Nizam Mukhelas, 25, a fashion blogger.
“The local fashion scene is so much better compared to what it used to be five years ago because fashion isn’t only seen as an extension of art any more but also a means of self-expression.”
Miss Mawk and Amirul are two of the three Bulu-Bulu designers. But here’s the mind-boggling thing: Designers are getting younger by the season.
Many do not possess any formal training in design, but instead do mundane jobs before returning home to get cracking on the next big thing, which could be anything from wearable art nouveau trinkets to crafty fixtures for the home.
To them, it’s about rebelling against conventions and building an empire from scratch. They create with their own hands and flit around like style nomads, hawking their idiosyncratic items to a global customer base without having to pay a single sen for rent.
The rest of society, meanwhile, is still struggling to catch up.
“My friends and I have started hunting for one-of-a-kind pieces in flea markets and online boutiques,” says Jessica Phang, 32, an auditor.
“People have a word for us – recessionista – because these items are cheaper than what you’d normally find at malls. I hate that, because it implies that I don’t have money. I do, but with all the gorgeous, affordably priced and unique buys out there, it seems ridiculous to want anything else.”
Like Phang, those who think the fashion industry takes itself just a mite too seriously can now breathe a sigh of relief. Because, thanks to these young designers, fashion is finally fun again.
Bulu-Bulu Studios
“People giggle whenever they hear the word Bulu-Bulu being mentioned,” says video-editor Amirul Azmi, 29, one of the three designers of Bulu-Bulu’s line of custom-designed shoes.
“That’s the sort of reaction we’re looking for. Our brand is, after all, as quirky as it sounds.”
What he fails to mention is that the shoes are every bit as memorable. Bulu-Bulu Studios made its big debut with Youth ’09 by displaying a dozen pair of these graffitied sneakers for sale.
Passers-by were so enchanted and tickled with the shoes’ off-kilter designs (featuring everything from intergalactic aliens to a Malaysian granny) and neon-bright colours that they were snapped up like hot cakes.
“We didn’t expect such an overwhelming response,” says Bulu-Bulu designer Halimatun Saadiah, 24 (better known as Miss Mawk). “And we certainly did not expect a 50-year-old buying a pair for himself, either.”
Bulu-Bulu is actually the brainchild of Mawk, who has loved doodling since she was young. She then proposed the idea to her college mates Amirul and Farid Shahidan, 22, who took to it immediately.
After just two months in business, they now receive up to 10 orders per week – which Mawk, Amirul and Farid try to cope with despite having their studies and career to cope with. Customers these days are sending Bulu-Bulu pictures of their loved ones so they can have them sketched onto the shoes. Then, there are also “couple” shoes, which are matching shoes that tell a story when both the man and woman put them on.
“We work through the night,” says Mawk. “It takes about three days to create a shoe, from tracing the illustrations onto the plain canvas and then using acrylic and fabric paints for colour. Getting an idea is usually the hardest part, but once you have it, everything else flows.”
So what’s the source of their inspiration?
“Believe it or not, I get my ideas each time I go to the loo,” says Mawk. “Many toilets have interesting motifs on the walls. I just need to look at them for the light bulb to go on.”
Get your fix at www.bulubulustudio.blogspot.com
Project Muff+Stit
It all began innocently enough six months ago, when Michelle Pong and Sheryl Oon, both 22, decided to start blogging about their DIY projects and passion for vintage hunting.
“It’s what I like to call a ‘project’,” says Pong.
“Muff+Stit is an amalgamation of the names of our blogs (Pong’s blog is Stit-Stit, while Oon’s is Raggamuffin). It isn’t your run-of-the-mill online boutique. It’s different.”
And different it is indeed. Muff+Stit readers don’t just click and buy, they get to interact with the creators and look for inspiration.
“For instance, we’ll post an entry on how to wear a shirt in six ways, so that readers can submit their pictures,” says Pong. “We’re not doing it for the bottomline. We’re doing it because we love doing it.”
With Muff+Stitt, designs from established couturiers are first deconstructed and reinterpreted to whichever way their moods may swing. The girls then collaborate with other designers who will ultimately bring these ideas to life.
The Muff+Stit duo Michelle Pong and Sheryl Oon modelling their own designs. The rest, as they say, takes a bit of narcissism. Pong and Oon, who are studying restaurant and business management in Melbourne, strut around in alleyways and abandoned warehouses playing models in their own clothes. The pictures are always cheeky and a little rebellious, much like their outfits.
“We’re inspired by high fashion labels but we’re definitely not them,” says Oon. “We enjoy being more underground and exclusive. It’s also an alternative to the whole commercial, mass-produced brands out there. Personalisation is key.”
This offbeat approach to fashion proved to be such a hit that their website now has a cult following spanning the globe. They’ve also diversified into the buying and selling of vintage clothing, which can be found on a separate blog called Muff+Stit Shop.
But they’re not content just yet.
“We hope to be like Chinese-American designer Alexander Wang one day. We love his collections because we see his personality through his designs. People actually go, ‘That’s so him...’ and that is exactly what we want.”
Get your fix at www.projectmuffstit.blogspot.com.
Sze Accessories
Tan Sze Yoong’s granddad passed away recently. Although she’s crushed, her mind is filled with plans for her next collection.
By day, Tan Sze Yoong is a beauty trainer. After hours, she creates accessories. “I loved my grandfather greatly,” the 27-year-old beauty trainer says. “He had always been my inspiration. He used to work as a tailor and, as a child, I would perch on his measuring able and watch him measure layers of fabric to make beautiful dresses and suits.
“Now, I want my next line to be a tribute to him and his work. I’ll use trimmings like buttons, cloth, velvets and satins, so that it’ll truly represent his soul. In a way, the pro cess of working on my accessories has been very therapeutic.”
Tan is different that way. She uses the wisdom acquired from everyday life and people, and transform them into romantic objets d’art that people can wear.
They are impossible to ignore too: demure necklaces that sway provocatively from the neck, elegant bracelets with gold-plated charms that wrap like velvet around the wrist, and even Swarovski-encrusted bookmarks, complete with dreamy names like Ivory Tears and Fluttery Wings.
Earrings from an upcoming collection at Sze Accessories. It is immediately evident that Tan has put a lot of heart into Sze Accessories.
“I scour jewellery suppliers, thrift shops and flea markets from all around the world for that special piece that I will use in the future,” she says.
Some of Tan’s more interesting efforts include her glass range, the first of its kind in Malaysia. She has employed the very same technique on a few collections. One of them is called Silhouette, a very English collection reminiscent of baroque wallpapers and traditions long gone.
“It may look simple, but it’s actually a very tedious process of tracing and gluing miniature artwork onto the surface of glass,” she says.
The result? Pendants, earrings and brooches, all embellished with pretty storybook pictures that will delight the kid in just about anyone. Only problem is that some may need a magnifying glass to see it.
No matter, because she’s done her grandfather proud.
Get your fix at www.szeaccessories.com.
Plasterdoll
Marc Jacobs’ Spring/Summer ’09 Collection, complete with Chanel sunglasses and a Birkin bag. She’s curiously attractive. Rather fun. And she’s the most cheerful fashion model out there, so long as you don’t compare her to Chucky.
Not bad for someone who has pictures gracing hundreds of homes in the United States, Britain, Australia, Malaysia and France. Plasterdoll is the real deal, or at least she is in her creator Jessica Wong’s mind.
Part-alter ego, part-fantasy, Plasterdoll gets to cavort around in the latest, greatest outfits by runway designers that don’t cost her a penny – because they’re illustrations, just like she is.
Plasterdoll was born some time in Spring 2007, when Wong, 27, a freelance illustrator, merged her two great passions – drawing and Blythe Dolls – to create the fabulous fashionista.
“First, I browse for suitable runway shoots from various magazines sources. Then I complete the ‘art direction’, which includes deciding on Plasterdoll’s pose, backdrop, and hairstyle. Finally, there’s the ‘photo shoot’ (or Photoshop to be more specific), and that’s when I edit Plasterdoll to perfection,” Wong says.
“I’ve invented her with a separate identity and personality in mind, but people have said that she bears some resemblance to myself.”
Throughout her career, Plasterdoll has done “fashion shoots” for well-known international fashion labels like Marc Jacobs, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu and more. She’s also set to rule the world through her collaborations with interna tional artists – the most recent one being with a very talented French fashion illustrator, Angéline Mélin, who is based in Paris.
“It really benefited me as I had a sudden increase of blog traffic, and also attracted a number of French readers to my blog,” Wong says.
Any future plans for Plasterdoll?
“As an avid follower of Gossip Girl, I’ve also been thinking of dressing up Plasterdoll in Blair’s wardrobe! Serena’s too, perhaps.”
Talk about star quality.
Get your fix at www.plasterdoll.etsy.com or www.plasterdoll.blogspot.com. Each illustration is sold as 8x10 inch reproduction prints at US$20 (RM65) each.
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