It’s always a delight to meet the actual people behind creative forces. Threadbare & Squirrel‘s recent joint launch of local labels A.K.A Wayward, Weekend Sundries and Mandy Wu‘s collections offered that opportunity, and saw the designers introducing their collections to us personally, in a way that allowed the personalities and narratives that underlie the clothes and accessories to really shine through.
As you can probably guess from its title, “Blackness & Silence”, A.K.A Wayward’s F/W ’13 collection has a moody, goth-y vibe (drapes, capes and high collars) that’s well brought out by the lookbook, showing two lost souls meeting in a cemetary. But designer Mun Foong isn’t all gloom and doom. While chatting, we bonded over our morbid imaginations and affinity for over-the-top doomed romances.
Weekend Sundries, on the other hand, showcased a much more cheery collection of “brunchwear” in muted shades. The conversation with designer Michelle Chan eventually moved on to art, and it turns out she’s quite the art buff as a part of the up-and-coming Art Loft (watch out for them in January).
It was quite a surprise meeting Mandy Wu herself, who’s behind the eponymous jewelry label that’s best known for fierce pieces, like pleather necklaces with battered, high-shine spikes. We expected to feel intimidated, but the quiet, thoughtful Wu, who went from being a chemistry major to a full-on jewelry designer, comes across as more grad student than glamazon (in the best way possible). The latest goods are impressive, too. We have our greedy eyes on the cruel matte silver cuff and the full range of scary “teeth” accessories.
