"I was made for loving you baby"

IT'S GO TIME. Runway, ready. Hair, done. Make-up, done. Models, ready. MC, in place. Music, on standby. Audience, naked. Wait... Naked?! The nightmares before an event had begun. I always tend to get nervous towards the build up of an event. As the nights progressed, the dreams got more erratic: models tripping (which is actually kind of funny in my head), music choice switched to ‘I was made for loving you baby’ by KISS – don’t ask why, hair & makeup shows up late and we decide - head banging for 20 minutes makes for ideal runway hair… None of this makes sense to me either.

On the 14th of July, we launched ‘Kanch’ by Kanchan Couture at VERO Lounge. It was fun, glamorous, fast paced, and hard work! I have attended fashion show events in the past. You go with your friends after work, have a few drinks, try the canapés, network, tip-toe on your shoes to get a glimpse of the clothes, and either head out to dinner or more drinks to finish off your night. Sounds pleasant… when you’re not working the event!

The night flew by in a blur and before we knew it, it was over. We gathered 300 of Hong Kong’s hippest, our friends, press, and fashion lovers. From the moment the doors opened, there was a light buzz of chatter in the air. There was Kanchan Couture staff flying around from one corner of the venue, to the other. A winding long line of guests waiting to get in. The scent of perfumes and chocolate in each breath of air, was thick. Before we could inhale, it started…

I pressed play from the back of the venue… The music started. Boom boom boom, I was concentrating on the tempo of the song. The crowd was dense. People had their hands in the air, taking photographs with their iphones and digital cameras. Professional photographers clicked away, the flashes bouncing off of the clothes and models. People watched. I ran to the edge of the runway. I made my way through the sea of viewers, who wouldn’t give up their viewing space, ready to make my thank you speech.

I have always appreciated my friends and family. And it is at these types of events, special occasions, and unique moments that you notice who your real friends are. I had personally invited via text message two or three people, whom I just wanted present. For reasons unsure, they were not able to attend. It did make me sad. However, as I was talking on the microphone, I searched the crowd for familiar faces. I saw the happy eyes of my friends who were there. It made me realize that there are friends who cared, loved and adored me. I love my friends who came to support me. I then imagined how Kanch felt on the night. Her feelings must have been a lot stronger, it was her event after all. Had everyone she had been expecting, attended?
Finale, Kanch walked down the runway…she looked so happy, her smile ran from ear to ear. Her mother, a muse in Kanch’s designs, watched and smiled with pride. It was over.

Back stage interviews and press photographers continued through the night, but it all felt like an outer body experience. It wasn’t until the next day I was able to process what had happened the night before. Anyone who has worked in events can tell you, no matter how many events you’ve worked on, the anxiousness before an event, never changes. You’re worrying about guest lists, equipment, stock, models, music, MC, venue, food, drink, etc, but at the same time, you’re fueled by the adrenaline and at the end of the night, it all seems to work out. My first fashion show, done.

Enquiries 2117-1782 or email info@kanchancouture.com
www.kanchancouture.com | www.kanchancouturebridal.com

Alexander McQueen: Style innovator and fashion rebel.

With the sad news of Lee McQueen’s death, we pay respect to the remarkable designer at the forefront of style who brought fantasy, edge and a rebellious streak to the catwalk. 

When you ask anyone what their lasting impression of Alexander McQueen is, most will talk of his shocking shows, mould breaking models and extreme silhouettes; no doubt the words ‘outlandish’, ‘over the top’, and ‘daring’ would feature more than once. 

His most memorable and lasting impact and influence on the fashion world must be his ability to turn fashion upside down and break the mould. He was the first designer to use Indian models in London and he caused controversy when he took a former Paralympian from the track to the catwalk to model a pair of hand-carved wooden prosthetic legs. His reputation for controversy earned him the titles ‘enfant terrible’ and ‘the hooligan of British fashion’ and his designs reflected his extravagance. 

The lavish and daring Alexander McQueen shows were not simply a parade of beautifully crafted and designed garments in bold, eye-catching colours (although they were all these things as well, of course), but they were theatrical, wild, innovative and elaborate shows! He always liked to shock. Whether it was water filled runways, projections and holograms or volcanic eruptions and snowstorms, Lee McQueen brought life and energy to every show he created. 

As well as creating astounding fashion shows that mixed design, technology and performance, the editor of British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman, believes true fashion followers will remember him for what he truly was: “a modern day genius whose gothic aesthetic was adopted by women the world over”. He influenced and inspired a whole generation of designers and looking back through his past collections is proof of his ability to produce extraordinary designs. 

He will be greatly missed in the fashion world. A true inspiration for all designers!

www.kanchancouture.com

Image: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/paris-fashion-week/4973293/Alexander-McQueen-autumnwinter-0910-collection-at-Paris-Fashion-Week.html

…Kool Kuala Lumpur

With just three weeks into the year I seem to find myself to be sitting at airports or on planes a lot pondering life or the happenings of the recent trip. A few weeks ago I got an email from a production company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia asking if I would come and be part of a TV Champaign where I would have to talk about my inspiration and how Europe had influenced my career as a Fashion designer…and so a few weeks later I was in KL.

Not knowing what to except of the place or the people other then the little research I did on the weather, which helped me, pack appropriately….30 degrees Celsius and sunny, who wouldn’t be excited?

Stepping off the plane I was whizzed of the studios to meet with the clients (the TV Channel) and the production team, the wardrobe was chosen and I given questions to answer about my inspirations etc that was eventually turned into my script. The day ended with a crew dinner where we all loosed up having a drink and talking about the coming days.

The next three days were filled with filming and a photo shoot. Although the pieces that was being filmed was merely a few seconds, a whole lot of work went into the set up of lights, camera and all the action. Made me grow a newfound respect for Hollywood and Bollywood, where the movies are hours long. I cannot begin to imagine what it takes to put together a full-length featured film.

Hours of hair and make-up, 60 takes, laughing / quarreling with the director, 500 photographs and several poses later…voila there we had all the raw cuts needed. Working on projects like this gets my heart beat racing and a twinkle in my eye… the excitement, energy, buzz of people and how everyone supported one another made this particular project a fun adventure.


In the mist of all this I had an afternoon off thus decided to take a quick tour of the city soaking in some sun and culture….the first stop was the Batu Caves and famous Hindu temple where I got chased by a wild monkey, next was the Batik making factory where they showed us how the ancient art of Batik was done, the pewter factor, a range of shops ending at the PETRONAS towers. Which I was informed are the largest towers in the world, the tallest single building is in Dubai.



The process of making Batik was the most interesting as my mind started to tick about how I could incorporate it into my next collection.

The process:

_A piece of white or dyed silk is stretched by two sticks on either side holding it up; next a pattern is drawn using a pencil
_Then a little tool called a “Chanting” (a little copper bowl with a spout attached to a wood or bamboo handle) is filled with a mixture of hot wax + resin and used to trace the drawing that were first done in pencil
_Fabric paint is used to fill in the areas that need to be colored in (the wax stops the colored ink from spreading)
_Once it is dry the fabric is put in a bucket of chemical fixatives making the color “fast” or permanent
_Lastly the wax is washed away as the fabric is boiled in a mixture of ashes and chemicals

After 3 days of work and lots of fun... leaving new friends, long hours of standing in front of the green screen, hot weather, palm trees and the beautiful Malay hospitality was hard…well its all in the name of fashion!