Arts
Dance to design
For the modern woman: Marlon’s designs. Pix by Chanaka Madhushan from candid
Elegant models, flashing cameras, and a glamorous audience; This was the scene that greeted young Marlon Rae, a volunteer backstage at Colombo Fashion Week (CFW) 2014 when he peered out at the catwalk. “I thought ‘wow, I want to be here one day as a designer’,” Marlon recalls. Three years later, on March 15 this year, he got just that wish, when he debuted his brand ‘Maluba’ at CFW’s Emerging Designer showcase.
At 24, Marlon’s talent has been quickly noted and even before he officially launched his brand, his designs were on the pages of local magazines.
This journey into the world of fashion stemmed from another passion of his, that of dance.
Whilst schooling, both at Asoka Vidyalaya and Mahanama College, Marlon was an avid dancer. Having trained in Kandyan, Low country and Bharatha natyam dance forms, he began competing at school level and won first place at the Islandwide Dance Competition conducted by the Ministry of Education. It was as a dancer that Marlon first began designing. Initially he designed and produced his own dance costumes but soon ended up making costumes for the entire troupe in school productions. “I once made 500 to 600 costumes,” he says, speaking of the Defence Services College’s annual concert, where he not only designed and produced the costumes but choreographed the dance items as well. To this day, Marlon who is a professional dancer and is well versed in Latin and Ballroom dance, designs his own costumes for his performances.
Having discovered his flair for costume design, Marlon then sought to explore the design industry and soon after A’Levels, joined the Design Cafe as a junior designer. It was while there that he realized that rather than the glitz and glamour normally associated with dance costumes, he preferred a more simplistic style. “I always ended up toning down the style of the costumes.” Prompted by his employer at the time, Stefan Joachim, who suggested that he explore the technical side of the craft, Marlon enrolled at the Selak and Brandix College of Clothing Technology (BCCT). Today he attributes the success of his creations to the technical knowledge from his BCCT course and the technical training he received under Damayathi Wedage at Selak.
Marlon the dancer
In 2016, Marlon was selected for one of CFW’s newest programmes, Project SEVEN. Led by CFW co-founder Ajai Vir Singh himself, the creative development programme focused on the ideation process of design. Whereas before he waited for inspiration to strike, the programme helped him dive deeper into the design process. From creating story lines which helped create a vibrant but cohesive collection, to putting thought into the movements of the wearer so that designs were not only aesthetically pleasing but practical as well, Marlon saw a marked development of his processes. “You’d never experience this in an old school classroom. It made things clear,” he comments.
This “upgrade” as he calls it, can clearly be seen in his debut collection, “Art of Survival”. Inspired by strong and empowered women, the collection follows the story of a woman’s journey around the world and the beauty and danger she encounters on her travels. In dark yet rich tones of mustard yellow, olive green and orange, tapered and bunched sleeves, gathered shirts and large over-sized bags, with buckles being heavily used in most designs, the collection has a sense of masculinity, but still compliments the female form.
Simple is how Marlon describes his style, and in his brand Maluba, he aims to capture the simplicity of the tropical island lifestyle with a modern twist. Featuring easy flowing cuts, and simple silhouettes in soft tropic friendly materials, the clothing is designed to be versatile allowing the wearer to dress it up or down according to their needs. Maluba will soon be available for retail at Aashikii, No. 1, Maitland Crescent, Colombo 07.
Making a name for yourself in a tough industry like fashion, where one day you’re in and the next you’re out, is no easy task. But the support he received from his friends and mentors has helped Marlon stay focused. This meant that at times they said things he needed to hear, rather than what he wanted to hear. “Sometimes I was hurt by what they said, but then I realized that if they didn’t say what they did I wouldn’t be where I am right now,” he says, keen to acknowledge his friends Tharshna, Stefan, Viran, Tymo and Leena who have been his pillars of strength.
Marlon: From dazzling costumes to simple lines
A dream come true: Marlon’s brand ‘Maluba’ at CFW 2017