Brenda Kuoh is a Ravensbourne Fashion Graduate, known for her intricate garment detailing and creative use of unconventional materials, turning them into wearable elegant womenswear. After gaining significant experience at powerhouses Rejina Peo and Mary Katrantzou, Brenda’s launched her Graduate Collection in 2019, shaping the story of six women venturing on a heist. In light of her most recent feature in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar UK, Fashion Crossover London sat down and spoke with the Malaysian Designer about all things fashion.
My main inspiration for my Graduate Collection was the Ocean’s 8 film. When comparing different heist films, you can distinguish a clear theme and the recurrence cable ties, and ropes used to tie up hostages, as well as duffle bags to store cash and jewellery and balaclavas to shroud the identity of the thieves. Fashion is such an expressive form of art, and I thought I’d fuse all these elements in my collection, with gems and jewels being staying at the core of my designs.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, an entire collection is a story of its own. Fashion shows are a form of entertainment, so I thought it’d be more interesting for the viewers if there were a plot and a theme to my collection. Both the materials and the techniques I used, tell a different story and add a personality to each look. Much like a team of professional thieves, each individual has a crucial role in their heist plan, through which they express their uniqueness, but the heist only succeeds if they all come together as one.
"Fashion shows are a form of entertainment, so I thought it’d be more interesting for the viewers if there were a plot and a theme to my collection"
I intentionally formed a more structured silhouette, as I have always been fascinated with menswear designs. My signature design style is very wearable, and I enjoy making simple looks that are sophisticated but not too “in your face”. The film I drew inspiration from portrays a strong feminist ideology, with the characters giving off strong alpha-vibes. To showcase their strong personalities, I opted for a clean-cut and boxy structure, yet I didn’t want to neglect the power of femininity and chose to highlight different features in each dress, and let these shine through.
Before starting on this collection, I had no experience in dealing with certain materials like beads and Swarovski crystals. There was a lot of trial and error, as I wanted to balance it just right between extraordinary and over-the-top. I also experimented with hand weaving my own fabric, this taught me the importance of being more environmentally friendly. I learnt to be bolder, get out of my comfort zone and push myself to make my concepts come to life.
"I learnt to be bolder, get out of my comfort zone and push myself to make my concepts come to life"
See Brenda Kuoh's full collection
Words by Lupe Baeyens