New York Fashion Week, Melke
On September 13, Spring Studios’ Sunken Living Room space was transformed into the whimsical world of Melke’s Spring/Summer 2023 presentation. Titled ‘How To Act Like a Man’ designer Emma Gage took inspiration from the 1966 Czech film “DAISES.” Following two women who intend to break free of traditional (and let’s face it, absurd) gender roles, they learn to embrace a childlike chaos. In this collection, Gage also continues her dedication to sustainability and gender-fluid design.
Browsing the racks of brightly colored clothes was like walking through the surreal film itself. A scene where the two women are cutting up sausages and eggs is represented in a skirt with hand-sewn appliques of fried eggs, scissors, and a hem of individually tied sausage fringe. A slip dress designed to look like an ear of corn called back to the scene where the characters steal corn from a farm. Patches of bodybuilders were attached to sweaters, t-shirts, and even boots from Doc Marten as a nod to a moment where the women drown a photo of a bodybuilder in a bathtub of milk.
Aside from the titular daisies, the motif shown the most throughout the collection was this bodybuilder, despite the reference being only a few seconds of the film. However, this image calls back to the greater message of the film and of Gage’s brand. The hypermasculinity you expect from bodybuilding is nowhere to be found in either. Both the collection and its inspiration play with the absurdity of gender stereotypes and gendered clothing. “I really took a lot of motifs from the film that come up as either masculine or feminine and try to blend them together because that's really the ultimate story that the movie grapples with,” says Gage.
Along with the dedication to gender-fluid designs, Gage is passionate about sustainability. Not only in the clothes themselves but where they come from and who makes them. Melke worked with a local print designer to help create vintage-inspired custom prints. The brand is 100% transparent with where their fabrics are coming from as well. When shopping on Melke’s website, each product has a sustainability dropdown where the sources of each fabric are linked as well as any additional information about the eco-friendly dyes or benefits from the factories so you can really see the sustainability efforts from start to finish.
Overall, the whole collection was filled with joy. Hand-sewn and strung glass beaded fringe is featured throughout the collection, some in a simple black, others with tiny flowers, butterflies, and corn cobs. There’s a circle jacket that literally lets you become a flower and a floral printed bowling shirt with a petal button placket. You just can’t help but smile when looking at all of the quirky details put into every piece, and that’s exactly what Gage felt while making the collection. She says, “This was a really current inspiration for me and something that I was able to connect with instantly. This was more of a connection of who I am as a person now and what joy this brought to me.”
Credits:
Creative Director: Emma Gage
Photography: Chad Mood
Styling: Heather Newberger
Hair: Akira Yamada
Makeup: Shoko Sawatari
Models: Alice Wu & Rozi Joanne-Richard Levine
Shoes: Dr. Martens
Interview by Skylar Elizabeth, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Design Coordinator, PhotoBook Magazine
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