art, the life we chose.

i began 2012 with my annual trip back to Manila, where i met a couple of strange looking designers dressed in all black. then and there i knew the year would bring me to different corners of the world where i would keep crossing paths with such creative and interesting creatures. this is just a post to toast those who have played a huge part in my life, personally and creatively. i've always been considered the 'weird' one in my social groups, and now i have grown close to a handful of other dreamers i can be weird with! each of you should know who you are and know the impact you have had on me this past year. so this is my thank you for 2012. 

this year more than any year, i have felt the passing of time and social age gaps. so i’ve decided that the new year will welcome a shift in Maiden Threads. enter: ABSENCE OFCOLOUR: curated by Maiden. this new project is basically a continuation of the Friends of Maiden exhibition we held mid this year. where i collated things of interest to share with like minded individuals, enthusiasts, artists, designers and creative’s. it will be much like a visual diary of progression for the rebirth of a more refined label, not just of clothing but a lifestyle. through Maiden i was able to somewhat educate people about their unseen surroundings regarding the industry and art scene, and through AOC i want to showcase a collection of design elements, techniques and concepts that undermines the traditional way of perceiving objects.

i will still run the Maiden Threads blog, as it will just act as a personal blog. but i am looking to push this concept further than i did with Maiden, as i feel it is critical to go back to the roots of design and craftsmanship to broaden the understanding of art itself.

so Maidens, it is completely your decision whether you follow us into our next chapter with [ABSENCE OF COLOUR]. we will hopefully see you in the new year for exciting projects and events!
m a i e :)xx 

a year in reverse.

i'm finding that my style and vision for this label is becoming more and more irrelevant to today's haunting mass appeal. what i wear or don't wear is an expression of me, not what magazines or fashion bloggers feed me. black is a state of mind, not a fucking trend. the new year will see a shift in direction for Maiden. 

no hipsters allowed.

[photo credits: @timtamberlina @creative_binge @machickomotoi @jrmz]

bringing up crazy.

(weird) is an adjective i am associated with more often than not. and though it can be disheartening at times, in most situations i’m thinking the same thing about you. girls question me, boys think i’m strange, and the elders like to shake their heads in disapproval. each to their own.

this design pilgrimage is going to take me to the most fashionable, obscure and inspiring corners of the world. and so i will be posting a day-to-day outfit diary with no restrictions and complete access to my weird and wonderful head space.

neckpiece: Sportsgirl, nail polish: O.P.I, t-shirt: RVCA, coat: Zara, pant: Zara, shoes: Mango

London, point and shoot.

drawing inspiration.

i recall wanting to be an art teacher when i was a wee child, until i came to realise that 1. i'm not good at public speaking and 2. i dislike kids. i remember one time in grade 6 when we had those peer support programmes where we all got allocated a kindergarden student to take care of for a week. i got so annoyed that my kid couldn't colour in between the lines. so i did it for them and let them take credit for it. as i got older, i still don't appreciate crappy colouring in. but i wouldn't mind teaching a 'portfolio/presentation' class at TAFE. i love doing projects, but a graphic design job would probably do my head in. so here's my short tutorial on collaging...

you have to remember that not everybody is visual. so as a creative, you must illustrate your ideas in picture form to tell your story or sell your concept. there are 3 main things you need to do this; a concept, time and photoshop. have your concept and focus on the direction you want it to go. familiarise yourself with the programmes you need to aid your project. and set aside time to do this, as you cannot rush perfection. 

i have folders and folders of jpegs that i have collated throughout the years. i spend hours on google and several blog sites picking out images that inspire me and awaken my imagination. start on your own collection as this will be your library for future storyboards. credit where you can. it's good to reference, but i didn't go to uni so i know no better. google image search holds anything and everything you're looking for. be descriptive with your search and you're certain to find the right image for your collage. 

collaging to me is more than cut and pasting pictures onto a canvas. there's almost an art form to it. filter the images you will use by colour, theme and relevance. this will help you with the consistency of your visual presentation.

the first blueprint is my mind map of what i want the interior of the exhibition to look like. if you skip down to the third collage of all the images i used, you can see that i manipulated alot of the objects to scale. i also used the whole frame of some of the images to layer, creating another dimension to the artwork. 
the second collage is the moodboard for my collection, the direction of what i want the models to convey. collaging is all about layers and if you think about it, it's almost like a puzzle. play with the opacity and sizing of the images until it fits. with practice you will know when to overlay or when to erase the background.

and that's how you collage. if you almost feel disturbed by the images, then my work here is done...