Myzra de Muync was one of six designers chosen by Cathy Edwards from the Central Saint Martins MA show for our Exclusive story, The Masters. A look from her collection was styled by Edwards and photographed by Ben Toms, and here the designer spoke
Myzra de Muync was one of six standout designers chosen by Cathy Edwards from the Central Saint Martins MA show for our Exclusive story, The Masters. A look from her collection was styled by Edwards and photographed by Ben Toms, and here the designer reveals ideas behind her inaugural collection.
What inspired your collection and made you choose sportswear as an influence?
I found inspiration for the collection in dresses from the 1920s and a series of quotes I collected from books about Paul Poiret, Coco Chanel and Diana Vreeland. I was inspired by the elaborate fabric designs of this period: Paul Poiret worked in a very artistic way and created Maison Martine where young girls created embroidery designs in a very youthful way without thinking of commerce. This was a very intuitive and free process of working. Coco Chanel also worked in a very personal way as well, making clothes that she would actually wear. She incorporated sportswear into her designs in the 20s and by the 50s, during her comeback, creating a very recognisable and simple silhouette: the Chanel suit. Keeping these references in mind, I thought it would be interesting to make very time-consuming and handcrafted fabrics, but capture them in a simple sportswear like silhouette. By working in a couture-like method on relatively cheap fabrics the garments became more contemporary. It's a mix of cheapness and luxe. I wanted the garments to be very wearable – in a way they're couture fashions but they project an image of standardisation.
How does the collection compare to your previous work?
My previous work has always been very handcraft based but often relating more to performance or art. This time I was really interested in pure fashion because it is a product. I think this is actually a cool thing about clothes, they have a very specific function. It was a reaction against fashion being 'arty'.
What inspired the prints within your collection?
The prints came from drawings I had seen of 1920s dresses. I liked the idea of being able to paint fabrics by hand and also colour them by hand to give extra value and depth to the fabrics.
See all the designers chosen for our Exclusive, The Masters here.
