Pirate Ching Shih, also known as Zheng Yi Sao,

"This collection is inspired by a chinese pirate named Ching Shih, also known as Zheng Yi Sao, who lived beginning of 19th century. She caught my eye some time ago when I came across a picture of her and got struck by her beauty and wanted to know what was behind the surface.

Ching Shih was originally a prostitute who married a cantonese pirate captain. When he died she took over his role, married his son and made him captain . She was however the one to lead 1800 ships and more than 80,000 pirates were under her command. She was fearless and disciplined her men with strict rules and castrated any man who would commit rape. Ching Shih was in no way a nice lady but her strong mind and  life inspired me to create a collection that would appeal her.

For the collection I wanted to avoid the classical pirate wine-red-corsett-with-puffy-white-shirt feeling and instead go deeper into the dirty rotten sea colores. I don’t imagine the life on board as glamourous but rather tough and humide. The pallett for the collection spins around earth colores like olive green, petroleum blue with off white and beige as ground. The materials mixed between heavier velvet and delicate mesh and lace.

Femininity and luxury meets a world of struggle and non-friendly approaches. I wanted to make a clash of two imaginary worlds that never meet in the pirate fairytale and see what happends. I wanted to imagine all these delicate styles worne in a non delicate way and see them subordinate a lifestyle that is it’s opposite. Because true challange for me, and MbN, is to create styles that follow beares lead and life."