‘Curve-friendly’ SA designer heading to London Fashion Week
South African designer, Mel Brookes is heading to London Fashion Week. She believes that “when a woman feels beautiful, she looks beautiful. It’s a universal insight that universal clothes cannot satisfy.”
The 37-year-old SA designer from Cape Town has been invited to showcase her curve-friendly designs on the London Fashion Week runway.
Brookes, who resides in Plumstead and has a design studio in Diepriver, says she’s incredibly excited to showcase at London Fashion Week, as being internationally recognised for her work has always been a dream of hers.
“It’s been a huge honour. I feel very blessed for this opportunity. To be chosen from a group of so many talented designers, it is one of the biggest moments of my career thus far,” she says.
Fresh out of high school, Brookes went to study psychology for a year before moving to Ireland where she worked in the retail industry for five years. This is where her passion for fashion was spawned.
Visual merchandising and putting colours together to create a story was something that deeply excited her during her international stay.
Armed with inspiration and experience, she headed back to South Africa to study fashion design at The Design Academy of Fashion.
“I initially studied psychology, but I do feel there is a connection between the two. I always loved colour and fashion merchandising. It makes me happy when you can tell a story with clothing and the effects it can have on someone when they put on a garment that makes them feel amazing.”
She says it’s richly rewarding to see the change in women who feel confident in their clothes.
The mother of two says, “I always struggled to find clothing that was accommodating to my curvy figure. I then decided why not design my own clothing, because there have to be more women out there that feel the same way. I was passionate about this because when you feel good in your clothes you feel confident and empowered and so my brand was born.”
Brookes prides herself in designs which are curve-friendly and comfortably chic – everyday clothing for women who want to look and feel amazing, but comfortable.
Brookes leaves for London on Monday 12 February to showcase her collection at 19:00 on Saturday 17 February.
In keeping with the inclusivity of the Mel Brookes’ brand, Madeline Stuart will be walking in her show. Stuart is a worldwide phenomenon – a powerful advocate for inclusiveness and diversity in modelling. She is recognised as the world’s first professional model with Down syndrome.
