Emma Mullholland - Risqué Business
Mercedez Benz Fashion Week
April 12
Although the handout at the MBFWA runway for Emma Mulholland's 'Risqué Business' explains that the collection emerged from creating an 80s inspired alternative to streetstyle workwear, it was the playful final touches of butterfly clips attached to backpacks and post it note prints that reminded me more of the kind of kid I wish I was at highschool.
Leaving behind her previous penchant for acid neons and out-there prints, Emma Mulholland has created a pretty pastel tinged world this time around, and her colour restraint has delivered a collection that's all the better for it.
If her aim was to create incredibly wearable pieces then she has certainly done that - but that hardly does Mulholland justice. There's a cool kid sensibility innate in any of her collections; a kind of instant retro chic that lends nostalgia without feeling derivative.
It's in the easy-fit t-shirt emblazoned with 'Bored', and the circle bag casually thrown over the shoulder telling you to 'Chill Out'. It's a quirky humour that I saw emulated in Ciara Nolan's dinosaur-inspired collection this year - an up and coming designer featured in the MBFWA Innovators runway, a runway that lent a spot to Mulholland herself back in 2011.
And with fresh, inspired ideas flowing in year after year from her collections, it's really no wonder Mulholland has found fans and disciples alike.
- Bianca O'Neill
@alphabetponymag
