Fashion is a mirror language. It allows us to speak about ourselves without talking; to reflect values, aesthetics, and meanings simply by our appearance.

Fashion is one of our lavish appetites. A great hunger. It exists in the space between who we are and how we want the world to be.

We have very clear ideas about how we want our world to be at Maiwa, we are, above all, drawn to the sensual world – but on a human scale.

We have simple desires, for beautiful things, for well-made things. For beautiful, well-made things that improve lives. Empower women. Reduce poverty. Sustain villages. Maintain skills. These are the very opposite of guilty pleasures. Neither are they innocent pleasures – for so much of the values here are founded in knowledge, awareness and education. We might call these – true pleasures.

The works you will see this evening are organized by the Indian colour system of chakras. The name derives from the Sanskrit word for “wheel” or “turning”. It is a concept that resonates deeply with the transformation of fibre into cloth. You will notice the evening progress through each of the chakras and it’s associated colour:

White/Black – an absence of colour.

Orange/Red – representing the earth

Yellow – fire

Green – air

Blue/Violet energy

We would also like to introduce the notion of cloth with soul. Anyone who has ever stood next to a weaver or sat at a loom has experienced cloth growing inch by inch. This is the place where our world begins. Each step in the creation of a garment is as vital and as meaningful as the weaving of the cloth.

And so, we would like to draw you in. Wrapture. The feeling of being enfolded in our material. The delight of true pleasures. Welcome everyone – to the sensual world.