The New Designer's Show is the longest show at Malta Fashion Week and a demonstration of what Malta's up and coming talent has to offer. There are some promising new designers that I will eagerly watch out for but unfortunately there were some others that I feel need to give their concepts a bit more thought next time round.
A few general comments
- Quality of tailoring and finishing is important - if you're putting a collection out onto the catwalk, you need to ensure that the pieces are finished properly.
- Quality of fabric is important - I realise that money may be tight but some of the fabrics I saw today should not be used in a fashion collection.
- Stick to a concept - you might be bursting with hundreds of ideas but you need to be selective and choose 1 or 2 concepts to work with. Too many ideas presented at one go can leave the audience feeling disconnected and confused.
- Don't just use any music - the music accompanying your show needs to match the mood of your collection.
First up was Margo de Vidal - Spanish designer based in Malta. Her accessories earn her a big 10 on 10, the belts are brilliant and the fanny pack has my name written all over it.
I did also quite like the tie dye long, flowing concept and the two piece crop top and trousers which had a very sharp look.
I did also quite like the tie dye long, flowing concept and the two piece crop top and trousers which had a very sharp look.
MC Fashion presented a neon collection. Viewing the collection as a whole, it did feel a bit too bright and dandy but some standalone items have an interesting vibe that I could see being worked into an outfit and paired with more basic pieces.
Fretka also presented a very bright collection. However, I felt that it didn't quite meet the expected standard. The material, tailoring and general design concept didn't feel very mature and it felt a bit lackluster and lacking in quality.
Mari Ahoy - I really liked one piece in this collection, a very interesting catsuit with cutout pieces.
The rest of the collection had way too many different things going on - with some sleek pieces, strange hats and even cartoon-like fabrics. I especially didn't like the skirt with side ties - way too much exposed flesh that really didn't work well on the catwalk and was quite unflattering.
The rest of the collection had way too many different things going on - with some sleek pieces, strange hats and even cartoon-like fabrics. I especially didn't like the skirt with side ties - way too much exposed flesh that really didn't work well on the catwalk and was quite unflattering.
Lukka - I would have liked to see more of a collection from Lukka, there was no real flow of a conceptual story or colour concept across the different pieces. Also, I felt some of the individual looks were over-accessorised and could have done with being a bit plainer, allowing more focus on the clothes. As individual items, there were a couple of looks I quite liked - my favourite was this metallic dress below - it is very wearable and I think a collection built around this sort of style could be quite successful for him.
Gaetano was my favourite of the night - his work was interesting, of good quality and great tailoring. It is also highly wearable and sellable. These are all important qualities to look for within a collection, I think he has a very exciting future as a designer ahead of him. There was a short dress that really caught my eye as something I would enjoy wearing but this dress below was the one that looked most impressive from the audience.
Sarah Caruana Dingli earns a lot of points for a brilliant story concept, I loved the whole Alice in Wonderland direction she went for. Not all the pieces are wearable, some of them felt a bit theatrical but I really enjoyed watching this part of the New Designers show.
Gabrielle Fenech's pieces felt quite fresh and innovative. From what I overheard in the audience, they also appealed to a lot of people. Her prints are hand painted and she obviously spent quite a bit of of time ensuring that the little details on each of the pieces were exactly the way she wanted them to be. She's definitely one to watch out for.
Daze presented a highly sellable collection, the slogan t-shirts were fun and interesting and a lot of people will relate to and appreciate the vibe of their show.
Edith is a skilled, imaginative designer, her pieces have a certain sophisticated style about them and I love how she incorporates her costume design background into creating fashion pieces that are wearable and simultaneously dramatic.
Pochet! - this collection was very basic and didn't really bring anything new or innovative to the table. There's nothing wrong with it and I would wear a couple of pieces but I do feel that however sellable you want your collection to be, there needs to be a bit more of an oomph at a fashion week show.
Beyond Couture - these dresses are quite lovely. I like the flowing fit, the choice of fabric and the way the colours and patterns were worked together. One point I will make is that there were a couple pieces that didn't quite fit the models right. This is a pity as it makes it harder to see the piece properly.
Maria Cutajar was another favourite, I loved the checked graphical designs and turbans but fell in absolute love with these wide hipped catsuits below. General good concepts and good designs, another one to watch out for.
All Photos by KURT PARIS
