IT was an afternoon of rekindling fond memories for St Mary’s School alumni who recently got together for a reunion over a high tea spread at Merdeka Palace’s Italian restaurant, Ristorante Beccari.
TOP DESIGNER: Ong (fourth from left) is flanked by models wearing his creations that have also won the Unesco-Asean Crafts Seal of Excellence.
Organised by the St Mary’s Alumni Association, the event — themed ‘It’s All About U’ and held in conjunction with the annual general meeting — also featured a fashion show by Sarawak’s renowned fashion designer, Edric Ong.
As the lights came on, models worked their sexiest swagger down the runway, flaunting Ong’s unique creations that combined a touch of the ethnic and oriental with the contemporary, innovating styles through creative use of hand-woven silks and cottons.
Ong, named Malaysian Designer of 2009 at the Mercedes-Benz-Stylo Fashion Awards in Kuala Lumpur, never fails to impress with his collection and is known for his creativity and confidence in taking risks.
This was clearly shown by his ‘Art To Wear’ pieces, featuring woven mengkuang or natural pandanus fibres as well as plaited tree bark known as talun.
The textiles featured on the seven models were mostly hand-woven, hand-painted or hand-printed with natural colours derived from roots, bark, leaves and fruit-peels from the rainforests, a signature of Ong’s who draws his inspiration from the diverse ethnic cultures of Malaysia.
These creations have also won the Unesco-Asean Crafts Seal of Excellence and are now much sought after by fashionistas throughout the world. The textiles were also given the prestigious Japanese G-Mark Award by the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organisation (JIDPO).
Ong’s collection boasted a range of earthy, ethnic prints complemented by elegant modernised designs that set the tone for the afternoon as guests mingled and caught up with their friends, basking in the jovial ambiance that was all about them.