Review of Maral Yazarloo, House of MEA “Deja Vu” Collection at Fashion Scout London

It was the unveiling of Maral Yarzoo’s “Deja Vu” Collection at the House of MEA runway and I just couldn’t wait to pen down my thoughts from the moment I arrived at the venue .

Opening of the show:

Closing of the show

To give you all a background, House of MEA (House of Middle East & Asia) is an international forum that seeks to explore and expose high couture creations by middle-eastern, Asian and Indian designers. The first season of House of MEA’s productions is being showcased as part of Fashion Scout, London 2015 and what an opening it has been!

With Maral Yazarloo’s “Deja Vu” being one of the first shows, everyone was eager to see what this Iranian-born designer had in store for her audiences. I was especially curious about her collection because she has had an interesting and inspiring journey in the fashion world. She came to India in 2004 to pursue her MBA and decided to stay back for she was mesmerized by the country. Taking inspiration from her Iranian heritage and India’s rich culture, she launched her brand Ma/Ya “Made of Dreams” in Paris, Rome and India as well. And if I was impressed with the designer’s story and personality earlier, witnessing her collection come alive at the Fashion Scout only added to my admiration for her.

Her collection for House of MEA’s runway show was entitled “Deja Vu” which clearly represents her deep enchantment with cultural past and its modern interpretation. She wowed the audience with 20 exquisitely crafted handmade jackets that reflected a lovely symphony of zari-gold thread-work and fine machine-work. She primarily used velvet, raw silk and leather, with a colour palette of rich shades including burnt orange, mustard yellow, carmine maroon, peacock green and turquoise blue. The elaborate headgear, traditional bhutani boots and nude make-up added to the rustic charm her designs attempted to recreate.

Personally too, I liked Maral’s creations a lot, which combined the flavours of ancient Persia, medieval India and contemporary Middle-East. It was an aesthetic fusion of traditional forms and sophisticated modern stylistics, which made me realize that simple yet elegant clothing it truly timeless. I loved the colours used and also the playful experiments with texture and layers.

All in all, the “Deja Vu” fashion walk was very engaging and enjoyable – the perfect start to my adventure at this year’s Fashion Scout, London. Stay tuned for more updates!