MARINA MELHEM
BIO:
Marina Melhem is an Australian Fashion designer who was raised in southeast Melbourne. Marina’s desire to create evening wear began at a young age while watching couture shows in her living room of various Middle Eastern designers. It was the incredible beauty of the pieces and their transformative nature that inspired Marina, but mainly it was the way the women looked. A sense of power and confidence allowed Marina to want women to feel empowered in the way they dress.
Marina believes in empowerment through dress and her design philosophy focuses heavily on exploring fabric techniques and manipulation to create garments that truly stand out. Marina aspires to achieve design that is luxurious, modern, and indicative in detail that brings life to the garments.
DESIGN STATEMENT:
Motions of the Ocean is a collection focused on representing the attributes of sea life in relation to femininity. The ocean is so rich with life and colour and is admired for its natural beauty. The soft textures of the sea life contrasting with the rough textures of the coral create a symbolism in relation to femininity and empowerment.
The silhouettes are fitted to allow comfort with movement and feel natural on the body and are decorated with modernised design features of open back details and short length skirts. The colour palette is extracted from the rich colours of the ocean that are bold and lively. The luxurious natural fabrications allow a soft look that contributes to the ideology of femininity and using such delicate fabrications and manipulating them in various ways, contrasts the idea of the social and traditionally façade laid upon women with the uprising personality of dominance and power.
