Yesterday, I felt very privileged to work within the Maltese fashion industry, to be contributing in some way to its current upward growth. Yesterday, Luke Azzopardi, (who I interviewed last week) presented his new Autumn/Winter 2013/204 collection, PIERCED and made us all very proud. He defied my already very high expectations and showed us how a Maltese, well Gozitan actually, can defy all our small-island prejudices.
He’s a daring designer – bold, religious-inspired prints and controversial designs are key elements in this collection, he’s not afraid to push and break boundaries. He is not a follower, yes of course he did incorporate world wide key trends into his designs but instead of blindly copying what’s already out there, he fashioned these trends into something different, along with other unexpected elements.
Photos by Kurt Paris.
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| Divine – classical and daring, lace is always beautiful and that skirt has an excellent fit and amazing symmetry, very flattering; these pieces can both carry their own but when worn together, the image is a stunning one. |
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| These shorts!! I think they need to be mine, really they do, that print is absolutely amazing; loved the ‘Madonna’ cone shaped top too |
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| A classic, simple dress worn with bold accessories for those who prefer allowing the accessories to do the talking. |
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| So much funnnn, this look suited Brenda (supernovamoel.com) so much! I really want to wear this outfit. |
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| The gorgeous Amy (supernovamoel.com), the definite star of the show – this dress is amazing – my favourite of the night, I just couldn’t believe that I was actually seeing the combination of pink, feminine bows with that outlandish head-to-toe print. |
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| A close-up of the printed fabric. |
A mention of praise should also go to the excellent hairstylists team of Toni and Guy led by Luke’s own sister Lara Theuma, excellent, striking designs that fitted perfectly into the image of the collection.
The fashion show was presented in a lovely setting in Robert Sammut Hall Floriana, an ex Gothic Church. The models from supernovamodel.com did a great job walking along to the accompanied music; the audience was sitting right next to the catwalk which must have been slightly unnerving for them. Thumbs up to Andrea Frendo for the organisation of this event and to Adriana the makeup artist.
Luke is a really talented individual, his use of perfect symmetry within the design of his pieces is amazing. Actually, even the catwalk and hall setting was perfectly symmetrical, it must be something the designer believes strongly in.
If I had to find one single fault with Luke’s work, and I guess there’s always a fault to be found, the only thing I could say is that it seemed as though perhaps not all the pieces in the collection had the same level of finishing, it seemed as though some were finished better than others, then again as mentioned, the setting of this catwalk was so intimate, every little detail showed; we don’t generally get so up close and personal. What I would really love now, is for Luke to get the opportunity, to use finer and richer materials and fabrics, god knows what his designs would look like then, his pieces would be in a league of their own.
However, for me, what is most important, is Luke’s understanding of the way a garment should fit the body, of the lines and cuts of the different pieces; his fundamental skill at being a designer, and at this Luke definitely comes out trumps. I applaud Luke and look forward to seeing more of his amazing work, he has an exciting future ahead of him.
Comments
Adrian J Mizzi
Totally agree with this article. Also one should mention that Luke is a very young designer, and having the guts to organise a fashion show by himself, with limited if no budget, and managing to fill the hall deserves our applause. Such things are not being done not even by those who call themselves the established ones and the gurus. Luke managed to pass on a message to many, that when there is a will there is a way. I hope to see Luke's collection in next year's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week MALTA. If I had to draw attention to one thing, as a constructive comment, the lights on the carpet were wrongly placed. In some corridors, the light was coming from behind the model, making it difficult to focus on the dress whilst having lights directly in your eyes. But for the rest, it was perfect!
Caroline Paris
Thanks Adrian. Very much agree, Luke has succeeded at something that few local designers have even attempted.