Melinda Looi has an innate ability to blend the visually stunning with an everyday kind of wearability. A synergic blend of fiction and function, her creations have earned her a plethora of accolades, from receiving Malaysia’s Young Designer Award in 1995, to representing her hometown in the forthcoming 2014 World Fashion Awards.
Looi’s SS14 collection is an ode to beauty of the peacock. Inspired by the birds’ vivid colours, textures and patterns, the collection is a carnival of uplifting hues. Looi explains: “I have always loved birds. These beautiful creatures have regularly served as a source of inspiration for my work. For SS14 I was inspired by a painting by an artist friend of mine, Nini Marini. The colours and strokes on the canvas really spoke to me, so I stood there admiring it for some time before realising that it reminded me of peacock feathers.
“Peacocks are majestically beautiful and have long been associated with glory, immortality, royalty, and incorruptibility, and so this became the underlying theme for my collection. Nini’s painting, which sparked the collection, has been recreated in a custom silk print.”
The peacock feather is a recurring print in the collection, which blends silk crepe, soft, billowing chiffon and delicate lace with jacquard, silk duchess, sequins and Swarovski elements. Layers of clashing textures and colours create a collection made for women who demand both glamour and ease. Looi’s woman is a modern day warrior. She describes her customer as “soft and feminine in appearance, but strong in character, and unafraid of challenges or new experiences. She is independent, confident, and knows what she wants out of life.”
Explore Melinda’s creations here
by Roberta Lister