 Sustainable couture and costume designer New Collection: "The Muse and the Dragon" Inspired by 1940s tailoring and the Japanese kimono. Designed by Silvia Hoya-Mena Made fairly in Manchester with luxury sustainable fabrics and traditional methods. Photographed by Robbie Venn  photo of my collection "The Muse and the Dragon" by Robbie Venn http://www.robbievennphotography.com To see my portfolio and online shop, visit: www.mysewingbox.com To arrange a consultation with me at my studio in the Northern Quarter, email me: info@silviahoya.co.uk  Sustainable couture bridal gown Bias-cut kimono style in silk and bamboo fabrics   Couture silk strapless culotte dress, lined in silk  Bias-cut kimono dress in wool crepe. Detailed and lined in vintage kimono silks.   Couture Linen and silk damask kimono style suit Bias-cut draped dress in sandwashed silk. Low back. Lined in silk.   Hemp silk draped bias-cut full length gown with train. Lined in silk. The DesignerSilvia Hoya-Mena is a ”slow fashion” designer from Madrid and based in Manchester. Formally trained in both bespoke and industrial fashion design and pattern cutting in Madrid (Goymar School of Fashion, 1989-1992) and Manchester (University of Salford, 1997-2000) she has developed a passion for classic yet modern couture and an obsession with the perfect fit for the female form. Whilst still a student, Silvia co-ran a stall in Afflecks Palace, selling her unisex street wear under her label “Multipocket Syndrome”. After graduating, Silvia settled in Barcelona and opened a studio/shop in the chic suburb of Gracia from where she made and sold new collections with sustainable textiles, as well as designing and making costumes for circus, theatre, performance and music acts. After 2 years living and lecturing in fashion design at the Donghua Textile University in Shanghai (China), Silvia adopted an Oriental edge to her designs. She is particularly inspired by the form and history of the kimono and combines this with her love for vintage tailoring. Concerned about sustainability and ethical issues, Silvia manufactures locally and fairly with green luxury fabrics, vintage kimono and obi silks, with each piece perfectly tailored and hand-finished. In 2007 she returned to Manchester, settling down in her favourite city once again, this time working for the vintage and upcycling boutiques of the Northern Quarter as designer and maker, and then from her own studio at the Hot Spur Press. Silvia was a finalist in the 2009 “Best Of” Manchester Fashion Awards with the collection “Silverclub” designed in collaboration with German fashion designer Constanze Friedrichs, and two of the companies she has worked for have won that same prize with her on board: Rags to Bitches (2008 and 2009) and The Junk Shop (2011).Manchester Fashion Week recently labeled her as a "New Talent" in fashion and featured her collection in the MFW website. Currently, she operates from her new studio in the heart of Manchester's Northern Quarter, designing and manufacturing her collection as well as bespoke costumes and gowns. The CollectionFor this collection, named “the Muse and the Dragon” after the Chinese year of the Dragon and 1940’s female fashion icons, Silvia uses as inspiration the drapery and luxury of the traditional kimono, blended with the rigidity of 1940’s tailoring when, under a somewhat similar economic climate to 2012, emphasis was on the fit and craft of the clothes. These dresses accentuate the back of the neck, being one of the most erotic parts of the female body for Oriental men, letting the fabric drape and fold low underneath it just as Geisha wear the kimono for the purpose of seduction. Vintage kimono and obi silks, hemp, bamboo, linen and wool are lined with luxurious 100% silk satins and bamboo, making the garments beautiful inside, and sensual to wear.
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