meredithkoh

During the pandemic, everyone was cooped up at home with nowhere to go. Every day seemed the same which led to confusion in time perception. According to WGSN’s report on future consumer 2023, academics named the lack of time perception the “quarantine paradox”. Time became a collective focal point: how to pass it, how to make the most of it, and how to endure it.  This memory-to-time reflection is part of a wider behavioural trait psychologists term the “reminiscence bump”. When people lack time perception, nostalgia can help them feel more grounded in the present. 
 
For this reason, I looked back on old photographs and remember the ones who are not with us anymore. The theme came about as I held my grandmother’s hand when I visited her during my school vacation period. I was strongly reminded of my late grandfather’s palms from the past and that’s where my ideas started to unravel... The touch of their hands felt comforting, soothing and a pause in time to feel the life they lived. All the experiences of love and anguish in 80 to 90 years were at the palm of their hands.
With that in mind and especially during this unfortunate period, warmth, solace, and self-motivation are vital for everyone, physically and mentally.

As a result, this collection consists of comfortable quilted garments and balloon silhouettes that resemble the fleshy mounts of our palms. Enlarged digital prints of my own embroidered and embellished work were inspired by palm reading, where designated names of each section of our palms are derived from outer space. I have also incorporated ornamentation of palm lines and wrinkles in remembrance of my late grandparents.

The collection was designed for consumers who under the uncertainty of the pandemic, want to feel safe and pleasant be it in the comfort of their own home or when they are outdoors. With a feeling of embracement and detailed prints, it helps to regulate their mood and also be a conversation starter.

- Meredith Koh, Fashion Designer

Photographer: tong xing jie
Stylist: gabby
Models: bianca, kira
HMU: myself