Generasian Mel

West-East Magazine calls them Generasians. They’re that new generation of young Asians who were raised in Eastern culture, were sent to the West for education and enlightenment, and upon returning home represent a new breed of vibrant, global, sophisticated movers and shakers.

Melissa la O’, architect, painter and fashion designer, is one such Generasian. She had her first one-woman painting exhibit in her early twenties. After two years at the UP School of Architecture, she left for Los Angeles to continue her studies at the Southern California Institute of Architecture. She later took her Masters in Advanced Architectural Design at Columbia University, which she finished in 2001.

And now, one year since her homecoming, Mel has been applying herself in another way. She has put architecture aside in the meantime for another creative pursuit — fashion design.

Circus, her label, is how you might imagine a trained architect would make clothes. Her clothing grows on you upon closer scrutiny. The workmanship is excellent, the design is quirky, and each item is like a materialized concept that is well thought out. Hardly commercial, you can visit Circus by appointment only at Mel’s sun-drenched work studio in Makati.

With all her talent, credentials and potential, Mel remains shy, terrified of publicity, and is in no rush to be the next big success story. She is taking her time, feeling her way around again, taking great care in the things she chooses to do.

They say young people right now lack focus, are in too much of a hurry to make a name for themselves, and are excessively preoccupied with money. Not Melissa la O’.

She’s already learned so much, but she’s not afraid to try new things and learn more. And this is why she is today’s Bright Young Thing.

Why did you move from architectural design to fashion?

I can’t say I moved from painting to architecture to fashion. Architecture will always be there, painting will always be there, and I can go back to it when I want to. For me it’s the same thing — the whole creative process, the idea, the way my mind works.

Tell us about this creative process.

It’s just about putting a picture together in your head and then making it exist. There’s this thing called thought experiments. You discover something, then you can put it back in your subconscious. It’s about your intuition, expanding it, and specifying it. And then one day you just wake up and it’s there, you just draw it out, and you use the rest of the day to make it work. To make it materialize.

The process isn’t as linear as it is. It’s not even circular. It’s sort of like a net, a web, which folds and unfolds to infinity. You pick something up, it could be anything, and then that’s what’s in my head.

Why fashion?

I did fashion because in a way I was trying to create something within a context like this. It’s hot, it’s tropical, there’s this lifestyle, a way of socializing, a way of living. We’re relaxed, but we’re also structured, we have a lot of norms. Certain shields you put up. I’m working within these contexts.

Why the name Circus?

It came about casually. I have a group of friends who are really creative. We have this dinner group we call "Too many circuses," from the line "Too many freaks, not enough circuses!" It’s something my friend said.

What inspires you when you make a collection?

It’s more about moods. It’s a lot about the weather. It’s about the light. So when I’m doing a collection, let’s say for December, I’d think maybe black would be nice ’cause it’s a little dim. But if it’s the blazing sunlight I’m thinking color! color!

How do you wear your own clothes?

Clothes are about how you choose to function. Aesthetic is based on that. How you want to feel on a certain day. For these clothes they’re just a bit of fun. In LA I used to go to school in pajamas!

When did your interest in fashion begin?

I went to a Catholic school run by nuns so I grew up having to wear a uniform. It symbolized so many things: authority, conformity. I would put ribbons on my shoes, just something for myself.

So I see fashion as one of our final freedoms. If there’s one thing you can control it’s what you’re wearing. It would be nice if you could benefit from that.

Are there any people you admire for their fashion sense?

My friends—maybe that’s why we are friends! They’re very true to themselves. They understand themselves well enough to be comfortable with how they dress. It’s pretty admirable.

What’s your typical day like?

Depends on the day. I get up with a rough picture, meet some appointments, run around getting things done and then I just go through it. But most of the creative stuff comes in between all that.

You’ve lived in LA, New York, and you’ve traveled all around Europe. What do you think is missing in the cultural landscape here?

I think it’s the cultural infrastructure, the language — and I don’t mean Tagalog or the dialects or the spoken word. It’s the collective language, and I’m not so sure it’s my language. I can’t call it my own. Like, if I’m building a building it’s all so clear in my head, I talk to a person, tell them how I want it done, but at the same time if we’re not speaking the same language it won’t come out the same way. It’s just difficult sometimes for me to articulate myself.

The aesthetic of things right now is much about power. My world is not about that anymore. A lot of our architecture and our monuments are just relics. They didn’t become part of our language and our psyche so much. At least not in a relevant way. It’s very static; it’s not dynamic at all.

What’s the next thing you want to do in architecture?

I was thinking of taking a PhD in Architecture. Something that has to do with social systems, sociology. I love writing papers. I can write a 16-page paper in three days!

How concerned are you about money?

My partner, Suzy Calma, does the business side of Circus. It’s only been a year so I’m still feeling my way through it.

I’m trained as an architect, so I know the business part of doing things. But when it comes to Circus, once I start thinking about money and the production part it’d change the way I’d do it. Completely. I’m not ready for that yet. I want to learn all that I can first.

Can you say that you’re trying to live in the moment?

Yes, but my moment! You look at the moment in the newspaper and it’s so different from my moment!

Everything’s so fast now. I want to slow down a bit. I’m still catching up with my own past.

Architecture seems to be a profession dominated by men. Were you aware of this?

Yes, architecture school was a very masculine thing. You’re under a lot of pressure, and you could lose a lot of yourself because of all the pressure, all the constant criticism. And my way of responding was through fashion! I dressed the way I wanted to. It was really fun. Everything was so serious so you just have fun through what you were wearing. During crunch time that was when the fashion got really wild.

Are you afraid of fame?

I’m really the worst PR person, I’m petrified of publicity. I guess it’s about freedom. So let’s say you get bigger, you expand your production — you’d have to go to all the parties and lunches and you have schmooze with everybody! Oh God! That would be the end of me!

I need the luxury of being free. What would you want success to bring you anyway? It’s freedom.

* * *

You can visit Circus at Bel-Air Place, P. Burgos Street, Makati, by appointment only. Call mobile number 0916-5321962.

Send your nominations for BYT at lifestyle@philstar.net.ph or star_polanox@yahoo.com.