“Garments can be problem solving – they can offer protection and comfort for people with injuries, helping them both physically and emotionally. I want to explore more possibilities with fashion design.”

A recent graduate from the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) with a Higher Diploma in Fashion Design, Melissa’s mission is to design comfortable and durable garments that reflects positivity and sustainability. She received the HKDI Exchange Scholarship 2019 to study in Sweden for one semester.

Melissa’s sustainable athleisure collection “Body Geometry” is multifunctional, adaptable and easy to wear in different weathers and on different occasions, incorporating the concept of health therapy, and in fact designed to offer comfort to people recovering from injuries. Her “The Imprint of Light” collection is an experiment to mimic shadows hitting on the garments by using digital print to create illusions. Fabrics of different opacity were also used for the experiment. Different lighting was projected on fabrics of various opacity to create patterns, then overall digital printing was made on garments to mimic shadow illusions.

Melissa plans to get a BA (Hons) in Fashion Design at Nottingham Trent University in Hong Kong next year, before embarking on an overseas study trip. She will continue to study fashion and textile design at universities in Sweden and Finland, where experimentation and research in sustainable fashion is encouraged, and then hopes to promote sustainable, durable garments and eco-friendly fashion in Hong Kong.

https://melissawisteria.wixsite.com/2021