ABOUT THE DESIGNER
A lover of all things weird and wonderful, Michelle’s style is both dark and unconventional.
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She is inspired by conceptual ideas like Surrealism, Brutalism, Futurism and the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, where beauty is found in the imperfect.
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Hedonism, anarchy, and dystopian futures also filter through and inspire her collections.
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BIOGRAPHY:
Paris-based fashion designer and artist Michelle Choo was born in New Zealand, grew up in Singapore, and has lived in London, Copenhagen, and Berlin. Her dad is Singaporean and her mom is from Brunei. She is the founder and Creative Director of her eponymous brand, Michelle Choo, and separate accessories label, The Hedonist Shop.
She works on projects as a freelance fashion designer and in fashion marketing.. Besides being a fashion designer first and foremost, she also has a great passion for art and creates abstract art pieces in her own unique style in her spare time.
She graduated from ESMOD Paris in 2018 with a specialisation in Womenswear fashion design. She also attended Central Saint Martins in London and TafTc in Singapore prior to that.
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Her interest in fashion began as a child, when her aunt, previously also a fashion designer, used to make and adorn clothes for her every year for special occasions. She grew up surrounded by creativity and entrepreneurship, and that has influenced and inspired her throughout her life.
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PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
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Michelle has over 9 years of experience in the fashion industry as a fashion designer, patterndrafter and stylist. She has also worked at runway shows at Paris Fashion Week for Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester, Uma Wang, Manish Arora, Masha Ma, and Y/project; Oxford Fashion Studios for London Fashion Week; as well as the “Tomorrow” Showroom in Paris during the fashion season.
ABOUT THE BRAND
The eponymous prêt-à-porter brand MICHELLE CHOO is an avant-garde, conceptual dark fashion label inspired by surrealism, brutalism, futurism and the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi.
The brand embodies the experimental, subversive, and rebellious, using a juxtaposition of different volumes and materials in its collections.
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Draped fabrics vs. structural silhouettes, raw textures against clean lines, innovative cuts with traditional savoir-faire.
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The brand strives to be as sustainable as possible without compromising on quality, vision and style. All fabrics currently used are purchased from pre-existing rolls or deadstock. These include natural fabrics like silk and cotton, as well as vegan leather made with a process that uses less water.
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BEHIND THE BRAND LOGO & SYMBOL:
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The brand logo is made up of two parts - the brand name and the brand symbol.
The brand name in bold, simple font reflects its strong industrial and futuristic influence.
The brand symbol is simple but meaningful - rendering the initial "M" in a rough, raw feel.
It is a reinterpretation of the Germanic rune "Mannaz", á›— which represents mankind, humanity, strength and awareness.
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The brand symbol is also inspired by the wabi-sabi Japanese concept: an aesthetic centred on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.
It is one of beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete”, and is derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence – impermanence, suffering, and emptiness or absence of self-nature.
Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, roughness, simplicity, intimacy, and appreciation of the integrity of natural objects and processes - all aspects of which the brand is inspired and influenced by.
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