Words by Imala

Fashion designing is a skill that showcases a lot of creativity from the drawing phase of a specific design of clothing to selecting the fabric in order to bring the design to life. For a designer to design a dress there many things that they have to keep in mind. From taking the measurements of a body shape and stitching to those precise measurements as per the design takes a lot of work and time.

Hence, in our small nation of Maldives, we are seeing a lot of designers who are reaching many heights in the industry. As such uprising designer is Aminath Vileeniya Ibrahim who is the proud owner of Vileecollections. From her Instagram feed, she showcases many different, colorful and unique designs that exhibits a sun, sand and sea feel to it. Wouldn’t be wrong to say a total Maldivian vibe.

She began with sharing how her journey started into the designer world. “I had a very difficult lifesince childhood. There were times we were not able to afford clothes. Even if we got a piece of cloth there would be no way to stitch it as we had no means to pay for it. So, I thought of stitching clothes by myself. Hence, I started stitching very young. During this time, I met with an accident and had to go to Sri Lanka for treatment. As I had to stay there for sometime, I thought of doing something for the time being. So, I started to search for courses that I can do. Even then, I had an interest in fashion. Under those circumstances I went to an open day in AOD. From there I decided to study fashion designing.”

Vilee describes fashion as, “Fashion is what you like depending on your mood. For example, if you have a very beautiful dress in your wardrobe and if you don’t have the mood to wear it then you wouldn’t wear it that day. So simply that’s fashion for me.” Vilee recounted on her recent works by, “During my time studying in Sri Lanka I took part in the Artwork twice. After coming to Maldives, I showcased in the Brides Fair. I had recently donea collection for Diva’s which was for FIH. I have showcased in both FIH shows held so far. For now, I am creating a Kaftan Collection which showcases a Maldivian cultural feel to it. It is easy to wear and mainly we get summer here in Maldives.” Vilee ended with a laugh.

Furthermore, Vilee added that she had received the opportunity to feature her collection in a recently released song Dil Udeyaa by Unoosha Ft Shan. “It was a very last-minute opportunity given to me by Rizna. In a short period of time, I was able to collaborate with Unoosha in featuring the designs she wore in the song.”

As the conversation flowed, Vilee shared how she finds inspiration for her collections. “I find inspiration from what people wear. What happens is that sometimes, what people wear doesn’t suit them and I really want to advise them that if they wear it in a certain way, they would look really good. No matter the size, I would really like to pass on the information on what they would look good in. I feel that when the other person is informed, they would know and learnbetter. My favorite part of designing is the part where a dress gets damaged and instead of throwing it out, the process of trying to recreate the dress in another design is something I really enjoy.”

Vilee expressed her views on how the community responds to fashion. “There has been a lot of growth in fashion industry with a lot of ambitious designers building a career but the platforms are very less considering the number of designers in the industry to showcase their talents. The lack of opportunities makes the designers chose other career prospects in order to make ends meet. I believe this is so because there a local tailor shops with other nationalities which undermines the work done by fashion designers.”

“Let’s say, you go to a tailor in a local shop with a design and they would stitch it for a low price with many mistakes which I would say is not fashion. Internationally, fashion designers are not those people who tailor the dresses but they are also people with knowledge on how a design can be tailored. And in their culture, the person whotailors the designs would not get much credit because it is the fashion designers work that they are showcasing. But here in Maldives the fashion designer is also the tailor without which it would be very difficult to survive.” Vilee continued.

“Everybody works for an income. It has been more than 15 years since I have started and I wouldn’t say I am famous because I have never wanted to be fame or compete with other designers. I want to have a balance in life at my own pace. To spend time with my children at the same time as getting an income. So, I would say that is motivation for me.” Vilee ended with a content smile. For the future, Vilee hopes to have a Union for all designers that can help future designers.