If we look back at 2020, some of the buzzwords were “virus”, “pandemic”, “lockdown”, “new normal” etc. The year that could have marked a successful ending of another decade in human history left a scar so bizarre thanks to a pandemic that no one could see coming. With lives coming to a complete standstill, death tolls skyrocketing and hope nose-diving to a never-seen-before low, it’s a year full of painful memories. While the frontline fighters were busy saving lives, creative souls around the world were looking for means to draw inspiration to dream of a new beginning. The new normal, no matter how despicable it sounds, should also be about stories of survival, strength, and sophistication. Grace Moon is one of those creative global nomads who have proved her mettle in drafting such kinds of stories.
Fashion Designer
The Korean origin LA-based designer is a renowned face among the fashion-goers of the country. With an ever-widening fan base around the world, Grace is a name that resonates with originality and ebullience. While the local fashion industry was still reeling from the shock of the pandemic, Grace’s move to come to Bangladesh and do a show partnering with a local brand bears testimony to the fact that she is one of her kind and wishes to become the wind beneath the wing of a fashion scene that is eager to jet, set and go global. That is how Frozen in Time, her first-ever fashion show with brand AZ by Azim Uddula in Bangladesh was born. Powered by Korban, in association with ICE Today, the show took place at Amari on December 27. Gala Makeover by Navin Ahmed was the beauty partner and Channel i was the digital partner with a host of partners from international arena.
While she was still grasping the nuances of the culture and heritage of Bangladesh, her decision to flaunt her impeccably beautiful collection was nothing short of a daredevil act! Yet, Grace aced it like it was a cakewalk. Whoever has met this amazing woman over the course of organising this show has surely been smitten by her vivacious smile and happy-go-lucky nature. While her creativity is her biggest strength, her humility has the capability to win over any person, crowd, community, or country.
A house fully packed with 150+ guests all impatiently waiting to see the magic of her Midas touch were rightly satisfied as the models started walking down the ramp. While Grace’s entire collection speaks volumes about her love for fabric and how ingeniously she can use patterns to give heritage a playful twist, her use of colors like brown, beige, yellow, green, purple, grey, and more set the ramp on fire! The show began with a mixed variety of dresses representing creations from both countries. Male models wearing fur coats, jackets, and ponchos on punjabis were something to root for. The “Best Designer of Paris Fashion Week 2019” left no stone unturned to give her best here and the representation of traditional hanbok, the two-piece semi-formal worn by Koreans for formal occasions was the crème de la crème of her collection. Grace Moon takes pride in making ready to wear collections that are not season-specific. The show, as she clearly put in on the invitation card, enabled the audience to find their way to a moment, preserved in all its vivacity through the colorful array of ready to wear apparel spanning winter, spring, summer, and fall. Be it a long dress or smart pants and trousers, skirts and tops, blazers, jackets, hoodies, long coats–every single creation of Grace amazed the audience with their sheer glamour and chutzpah. Collaborating with AZ, a newly emerging menswear brand by model turned designer and entrepreneur Azim Uddula was a bold and gracious step that will instill hope among upcoming designers to look forward and aspire to such international collaborations.
Like a true pioneer, Grace has set a precedent following which, many more international brands will feel hopeful to come to Bangladesh, and thus a new era of local fashion will be ushered in. From this point of view, if someone uses the phrase, “vini, vidi, vici” to glorify Grace Moon’s success, it won’t be an overstatement as she has definitely etched a place in our hearts already.