Luxury label working with Indonesian artisans debuts in NY Fashion Week

Agence France-Presse

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Luxury label working with Indonesian artisans debuts in NY Fashion Week
Luxury label Maiyet, which partners with artisans from far-flung corners of the world, made its fashion week debut with a sensuous collection in desert hues designed for the sophisticated New York woman

NEW YORK, New York – Luxury label Maiyet, which partners with artisans from far-flung corners of the world, made its fashion week debut with a sensuous collection in desert hues designed for the sophisticated New York woman.

That includes artisans from Indonesia, with whom the brand has forged a partnership with. Other countries whose artisans they’ve worked with include India, Italy, Kenya, Mongolia and Peru.

Founded in 2010 by South African lawyer and post-apartheid reconciliation figure Paul van Zyl, and Kristy Caylor, a Californian passionate about humanitarian causes, Maiyet pioneers a new approach to fashion and luxury.

The brand has been showing its collections on the runways of Paris since 2011.

To widen its scope and deepen its identity, the label in April appointed its first dedicated creative director, Declan Kearney, an Irishman who previously served as design director at Alexander Wang and Jason Wu.

On Monday, in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, he unveiled a spring/summer 2016 collection of restrained elegance, layered knits, silks and suede, with soft falling fabrics and entirely feminine.

“I would acknowledge the fact that we’re a New York brand,” Kearney, who has lived in the city since the late 1990s, told AFP backstage at the show.

Maiyet recently opened its first store in New York’s fabled Soho neighborhood.

“I’m very inspired by New York women,” said Kearney. “Living in New York, you see girls of all nationalities. It is such a diverse place to live, and it’s really great to celebrate that.”

Maiyet does not necessarily have to be for the hippie chick or the eco-warrior – the DNA of its timeless craftsmanship from multiple traditions easily reaches into the wardrobe of the style-conscious New Yorker.

There were ivory silk knits from Bolivia, silk tunic dresses, jacquard knits from Mongolia and sheath dresses cut with asymmetrical slits.

“We reach out to the world for inspiration but we bring it back to New York when we curate it and make sense of it,” Kearney explained.

“We put it together in a way that speaks to a modern woman.”

Kearney said he sees the clothes as “very American.” – Rappler.com

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