MALAM Clothing

photography by Yann Pandaries

If you ever wanted to find some clothes that would make you feel like you were just plopped down in the middle of Alice In Wonderland then MALAM is going to be perfect for you. Emmanuelle-Marie’s designs are for women that are “looking for everything original and unexpected.”  

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photography by Yann Pandaries

Furies Magazine: Was there a particular piece that drew you into the world of design?

Emmanelle-Marie : I’m not sure this really is the case, but I remember my mum had this super-awesome floral orange pair of flared overalls from the 70s that I never fit in even as a teen, which was a great frustration.  I swore to myself I would have a pair of these one day… And when I eventually learnt pattern designing, it’s one of the first pieces I made for myself 🙂

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FM: Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

EM: My designs are mostly inspired by the fabrics themselves, their print, the way they fall… I love fabrics, and I have a hard time limiting myself with the fabric buying ! I often purchase with no idea – yet – of what I will make of it. Then , I have to play a little with it, find associations with other prints and materials I already have, and the fun begins 😉  Apart from the fabrics themselves, as you can see in my collection, many pieces are inspired by a mix of historical costumes, and fairy tale clothing, brought to a modern world.

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photography by Yann Pandaries

FM: Where is the first place you turn if you’re lacking motivation?

EM: I call my husband! He’s great at re-motivating me;) We do a lot of mutual re-motivation, which is super important as we are both individual entrepreneurs.

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FM: What is your working environment like?

EM: My workplace is a small (40 m2), 3-room premises, where I try to fit everything : One room is the showroom & stock, where I keep all the ready-made pieces, one room is for the sewing and general assembly, and all the computer work, and the biggest room is downstairs, for all the fabric stock, pattern drafting, cutting, ironing… I have so many storages, cupboards, piled on top of each other to make the most of the space, that I probably would not be able to fit another one now. The rest of the walls are taken up by many, many art photograph prints. The great thing about the workshop is that it’s a 15 minutes walk from my flat, it’s about 1 mn from the train station, and it’s got a terrace (hello, summer lunches!) …

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photography by Yann Pandaries

FM: What are your favorite materials to work with?

EM: I love printed and vintage materials, no matter what the composition is. The more prints or embroideries there is, the better ! 

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FM: What is your favorite part of being a fashion designer?

EM: I think that’s when I manage to use a print or fabric in such a different way than it was supposed to be used, that the effect is generally awesome 🙂 Oh and of course, being able to choose my own fashion – I have not bought a piece of clothing for ages 🙂

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photography by Yann Pandaries

FM: Is there anything that you don’t like about it?

EM: There’s nothing I especially dislike – apart from the fact I’m doing too much myself, and I am just dreaming of the day when I meet someone I can rely on for some of the daily tasks. You know, so I can have a free weekend from time to time 🙂

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FM: What are your plans for the future – where do you want to go next?

EM: At some point in the near future, I’d like to hire some permanent help, get a bigger workshop… so I can buy and store some more fabrics 🙂

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You can find more pieces at MALAM.fr and you can show your support by liking MALAM on fb. 

photography by Yann Pandaries