the cat who knits:
“One morning as I was flipping through Insta stories, refusing to leave my bed, when a friend of mine shared a video by Mavi talking about her experience of being a Person of Colour in Australia. It was done with so much wit and charm that I immediately started some social media stalking, and found out that she is a fellow Malaysian! I knew then that I had to get her to be in the exhibition. We caught up and shared our experiences growing up queer in Malaysia and how Naarm has given as a second chance in life to flourish as a person.
Purple Statice is based on a lehenga. Lehenga is an ankle length skirt worn with a choli. Of course, me being me I had to amp up the volume on the length of the skirt. The skirt is made from a mixture of yarn from cotton to wool. Most of them were thrifted. We then wove Purple Statices around the skirt. The top is a Sari blouse I bought back in Malaysia early this year. I extended the sleeves with a knitted lace panel made from organic cotton. I shed a tear when I saw Mavi put on the full look during the photoshoot.
The blouse that is on the mannequin is made by Lokesh Kashyap @_lokeshkashyap, a dear friend and amazing fashion designer based in Naarm. We couldn’t fit the blouse Mavi wore on the mannequin and I reached for help! Thankfully Lokesh put his hand up and created this beautiful piece.”
Mavi Rasa is a Malaysian-born dancer, model and social media activist working in Naarm, on the lands of the Wurundjeri people. Nupurasa, as she is known online, is well-known for her activism and entertainment online, providing comedic, satirical and moving commentary around her experiences as transgender, Malaysian, and of Indian ethnicity.