Fashion talks @ Wasteland... Magdalena Velevska...

During the Perth Fashion Festival I was lucky enough to meet designer Magdalena Velevska at the first of a series of fashion talks held at Wasteland, on King Street. While she talked about her latest collection guests sipped on sparking wine

Hailing from Sydney it was Magdalena’s first trip to Western Australia.  “Sydney is crazy at the moment, so I’m loving Perth’s laid back attitude and the beautiful sun setting over the ocean,” she said.

This year was the third Fashion Week for Magdalena Velevska and for the first time shoes and knitwear were especially designed for the show.

The media really took interest in this collection with Vogue selecting Magdalena Velevska for one of their top six picks.

Her success wasn’t achieved over night it has been a seven-year progression to get where she is today.

In her formative years Magdalena was involved in performing arts. Fashion had always been a part of her life, but it wasn’t until age 16 when interning with Zimmerman during the first Sydney Fashion Week. That she knew the fashion industry was for her, for Magdalena it was fashion or nothing.

After graduating from Sydney Technical University with a double major. She went on to work for big names Nicola Fenetti and Lisa Ho, before launching her namesake label in 2007.

The starting point for Magdalena’s latest collection was a crochet bustier from her mothers wedding dress. Elements from the bustier were used, from the design of the crochet as a motif, to crochet featuring in the striking knitwear.

The traditional colour pallet of Macedonia, (her families country of origin) was used as a base and then amplified into the bright fluro hues used throughout the collection.

Another inspiration came from vintage embroidery. “The embroidery is Point de mus dating from 1800’s, it was the first piece of embroidery to go into space on a NASA mission. This idea really intrigued me,” Magdalena said.

However the main feature of the collection was her unique use of pleating. Magdalena searched everywhere for the finest accordion pleating to create a delicate and feminine silhouette for her designs.

Magdalena has created a collection that exudes a sporty vibe, with an elegant and sophisticated attitude. Combined with her use of exclusive prints, accordion pleating, bright hues and embroidery, Magdalena Velveska is a label to covet and is sure to become a cult favourite.

Magdalena Velevska (centre)

So what is next for Magdalena Velevska? Well we will just have to wait and see…