The Ever Iconic Little Black Dress Gets a Revamp

“One is never overdressed or underdressed in a little black dress.” These are the famous words by fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld. He was referring to what is considered as the Ford of fashion, the little black dress. The piece gained fame in the 1920s following the designs of Coco Chanel and Jean Patou who wanted the “LBD” to be long-lasting, versatile, affordable, and accessible to the widest market possible. Today, years later, that is exactly what is happening with the revolutionary LBD being worn by woman all over the world for numerous occasions.

At ESMOD, the students are continuously challenged to not only be creative and come up with new designs and concepts but also to innovate and re-invent classics. This provides them the opportunity to put their own spin on certain styles. One such project is the LBD Exhibition which is compulsory for all students taking the Fashion Design and Pattern Making course. In this project, the students are asked to design a little black dress with their own theme and spin on it. These designs will then be sewn and produced to be presented during Jury Week. Following this, the pieces will be exhibited for all to visit and see.

Jury Week provides the students the opportunity to get feedback and constructive criticism from the masters of the fashion industry. Often, designers from fashion houses in Malaysia will be invited to sit in and provide their views on the designs. Through projects such as these, the students are able to gain not only valuable insight on their designs but also the prospect of undergoing an internship with these remarkable companies.

Goh Yue Ai, one of the students behind the recent event titled ‘Revelation – Little Black Dress Exhibition’ which took place at The One Academy, said that exercises such as these “are quite important. Otherwise without that exposure, it would be very challenging for us to get a job or even land an interview.” Malaysia is not as synonymous with the word fashion as countries like Italy or Paris are, but even here, there is a considerable amount of talent in the fashion sector. The big names such as Jimmy Choo and Bernard Chandran are recognized on the international platform but there are many more who have a creative eye and a knack for fashion. Through these types of projects, the gap between the fashion designers and the fashion students are bridged.

The Revelation Exhibition also sheds light on what inspires the students to design their LBD. Ranging from themes such as movies, architecture, social issues to feelings and emotions, there is surely a little black dress for everyone in this event. Some even chose to design their garment based on how they feel in their everyday lives. Sela Setiawan whose LBD was titled ‘Mixed Feelings’ elaborated that her piece will convey “ the years that I’ve lived, my inner self, my feelings, my pain and sufferings.” She also stated that her design will encompass overflowing mind, impure mind and the trapped feelings she has inside as well as the randomness of life itself.

Indeed, students of ESMOD Kuala Lumpur are always encouraged to challenge themselves by participating in competitions that expose them to real life industry practice to put to test what they have already learnt from ESMOD Kuala Lumpur, which is under the umbrella of the world’s first and oldest fashion school in the world with over 170 years of history! As one of the leading fashion design institutions in the country, ESMOD Kuala Lumpur pledges to provide the best education programme and continues to nurture its students passionately through the world class intensive course of ESMOD Fashion Design & Pattern Making.

For more information, visit www.esmod.edu.my or call +603-5637 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected] / [email protected]