The design duo behind Song for the Mute discuss the evolution of their label as they prepare to close Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA) with a bang.
Designers: Melvin Tanaya and Lyna Ty.
Label: Song for the Mute
Collection title: Grey.
MBFWA runway show: Thursday, April 10, 8pm.
How would you describe the overall theme/look of your MBFWA collection?
Song for the Mute’s F/W14 collection represents a fusion of styles. Mixing on the one hand our darker, tailored aesthetic perhaps more traditionally associated with Song for the Mute and the younger, more relaxed sports wear aesthetic the brand is continuing to grow. Our client has always enjoyed looking different and this collection gives the Song for the Mute wearer more options, its about being able to fuse those two looks or wear one separately to create a unique Song for the Mute outfit.
Where did the inspiration for the collection come from?
The inspiration for designing our collections is not so much concept driven, but comes from a feeling. A feeling personally and a feeling as a brand. It's often a reflection of the growth of Song for the Mute and ‘Grey’ marks a centre, an integral part in the brands development though not always a stable centre.
What are the key fabrics, colours and/or prints used throughout?
As with any Song for the Mute collection fabric plays both the starting point and the centrepiece in each garment and ‘Grey’ really builds on our commitment to fabric driven garments. Designing a F/W collection is always more tactile and that's fun from our side because we get to experiment heavily with colours, texture and yarns. This season we feature alpaca, paraffin and resin coated fabrics but wool blends are still a mainstay in any of our winter collections. Our more tailored pieces tending to include paper wools, linen wools and virgin wools while our sportswear features more technical synthetic wool blends.
The brand has built its point of difference in the men’s market by being more fabric orientated, ensuring our subsequent construction of the garments is not too heavy handed and 'Grey' is no exception.
Are there any particular embellishments on any of the garments?
For us it is the fine details that complete the garment, a finishing touch that rather than a statement. The buttons for many of the key piece jackets are crafted from buffalo horn and our silver hook embellishments on the collared shirts and jackets are hand made in sterling silver by cult Japanese jewellery label Iolom.
Describe the construction details.
Construction has also developed this season, we are always interested in taking traditional details and modifying them and their application. We try not to allow our construction to be too heavy handed but ensure it compliments the fabrics we use. Our sportswear aesthetic is definitely more prominent in this collection than it has been previously. This includes technical fabrics, bound zips, French seams and this is something we are interested in continuing in later collections.
Are there any particular styles that feature more prominently?
The cocoon shape is one that we continue to push and feature strongly throughout the range, we feel that as people move away from a slimmer look they want something that is more voluminous and will stand out as a statement piece without being too out there!
How many pieces will be included in your MBFWA collection?
This season’s runway collection will feature 89 pieces and is the biggest collection we have shown and put to production to date.
Which garments feature more heavily?
Pants have always been the starting point of our collections construction wise and always feature heavily in our collections. When we are designing a look or silhouette we always start from the pants and work up from there. We tend to ascertain what pant style is missing from the SFTM collection and build a look starting with that missing piece.
Are there any particular hero pieces in this collection?
One piece in particular that stands out for us is the Cocoon Jacket in mohair and wool. It combines one of our favourite shaped jackets with a unique wool finishing, creating an outer layer that is unlike anything we have produced before. The process takes shredded strands of wool that are waxed, curled and pressed to create a unique texture. Adhesive is then applied to the pressing to ensure it keeps its shape. Over time the wool will begin to release from the pressing and form its own unique shape and adapt to the wearers body, creating a personalised garment.
How would you sum up your MBFWA collection?
I think it is the strongest collection we have done so far, not because its the biggest but because its condensed, it brings back some signature silhouettes and enhances the line with a range of new cuts. We feel it is a mature retrospective of what we have done before and how we are progressing going forward.
How does this collection compare to your your previous Fashion Week collection?
We feel not only have the garments and the collection we will be showing has matured but so has the brand. For us as only our second show the growth between them feels enormous, we have doubled our stockists and reached out massively to an international market but MBFWA feels like a chance to show Australia what we have achieved in that time.
I think this growth and maturity is no better reflected in the decision by luxury Australian department store Harrolds to support us as key sponsor, to have a store with the kind of national and international prestige choosing us to sponsor at MBFWA we think reflects our development. We are incredibly excited to show Australia our progression as a label!