PHNOM PENH: MaPa Fashion Design Academy held its 2023 graduation show, ‘Fasana: New Beginnings’, on 18 March 2023, where 21 graduate designers showed off their showstopping mini collections.
Close to 300 guests from fashion, design, and broader creative industries attended the show hosted at the Olympia Medical Hub, which also featured the collections of two alumni and a design showcase of some creations made by the academy’s second-semester students.
The Founder of MaPa Fashion Academy, Ranet Sieng, said she was thrilled by the show and expressed her thanks to all students, volunteers, guests and hardworking staff.
“This is our third year holding a fashion event and each year impresses me more,” she said. “We hold this event because it gives our students experience and knowledge in fashion show culture, while also showcasing their work to designers and influential guests. I would like to wish all our graduate students the best in their future.”
Events Coordinator, Matt Thomas, shared that he believes this year's student designs were among the strongest he has ever seen in Cambodia. “The level of talent from these new designers is exciting and I am looking forward to seeing more from each of them,” he said.
Founded in 2018, MaPa Fashion Design Academy typically hosts a graduation show every year. The school boasts a talented and highly-creative group of fashion educators who lecture students on subjects such as fashion illustration, design, pattern-making, draping and sewing.
Fashion Illustration Lecturer, Keamleng Sam, said he was really proud to see everyone’s finished work gracing the runway and was very happy with how successful the show was. “Everyone’s hard work really paid off from the beginning, I can’t wait to see where this new path leads our new young designers,” he added.
“As a teacher, I am so proud of my students… Words cannot express what I feel to see a new generation of great designers,” commented Draping and Sewing lecturer, Dy Nyda.
The lecturers of MaPa also seemed to share a great sense of hope for what their students can contribute to the Cambodian fashion industry as a whole.
“Cambodia now has great upcoming designers [who] will help to improve the local industry,” said Fashion Design Lecturer, Seng Bun Meang
“I hope that there will be more opportunities and events for them in the future to help improve our Cambodian fashion industry,” added Pattern-Making Lecturer, Kuoy Visal.
Some of the academy’s alumni, in fact, are already making great strides in the industry after launching their own diverse boutiques and fashion brands.
One alumnus, Heng Dany, was given the chance to show off her trendy beach-ready designs from her brand, Unique Mode, at the very start of the graduation show. She said that being invited to participate in ‘Fasana: New Beginnings’ allowed her to develop her abilities and hone in on her personal design sense even further.
“I am very thankful for the encouragement from teachers at MaPa School who work hard to help the students with all their physical and mental strength, time, and energy,” said Dany.
Another alumnus, Kheang Sathaboramin from Boramin Fashion Boutique, brought glamour and elegance to the runway while displaying a stunning collection of evening gowns. Reflecting on the night, Sathaboramin said she could see a lot of potential and creativity in the latest batch of graduates and she hopes that MaPa will be able to host more shows in the future to expose more people to the talents of Cambodia’s burgeoning fashion industry.
As the graduation show concluded and organizers took the runway to make their closing remarks, MaPa graduates could be heard cheering backstage as they celebrated a successful end to their months of hard work.
Koeu Mikesam, whose mini collection included a bold statement jacket piece, said she was so excited to be part of this amazing show and extended numerous thanks to all her teachers for putting in the time, energy, and dedication to training students. “In the future, I will try to develop myself more because I understand that this field is very broad, and there must be innovation and continuous development with each generation,” she said.
“The ‘Fasana: News Beginnings’ fashion show, I think, was a good opportunity to give a lot of ‘new beginnings’ to designers,” said Ky Chhunseang, whose mini collection featured angular navy-blue designs and a stark pop of red floral arrangements. “I saw a lot of new and creative ideas from other designers and especially saw the activities of the teaching team, the behind-the-scenes process, and also the whole organization of the event, [with staff] who worked hard to make sure the show ran smoothly.”
“First of all, I’d like to say thank you so much to all the lecturers of MaPa fashion academy and a big thanks from the bottom of my heart to teacher Bun Meang and teacher Visal who worked so hard for all of us to make this show happen,” gushed another graduate, Leang Menghour. “I have waited so long to show my work and it was the best experience and memory that I will never forget. I never thought I would come so far it has been my dream since I was young. Finally, I did it!”
MaPa Fashion Design Academy's 2023 graduation show, 'Fasana: New Beginnings', was sponsored by 1664 Blanc, Magnum, Leekaja Cambodia, ASK Events, OMENS, Pepsi Cambodia, Independence Monument Printing and Embroidery, and Furten.clothing.
For more information about MaPa, check out the academy’s official Facebook page.
PHOTO: Kara Events
