“Fashion week was just the first step. “I still have miles to go,” says Seema Pun.[break]
The debut
April 20, 2009, the second day of Australian Fashion Week: Amongst hundreds of applications, Seema got selected along with three other contestants.
She made a debut amidst established Australian fashion designers. From the front row, invitees from around the world scrutinized her creations and appreciated them.
However, success was hard to come by.
“I stitched clothes till three in the morning and didn’t sleep for nights,” she recalls.” She couldn’t quit her nursing job to participate in a fashion show but the opportunity was rare. “I had this feeling that a month-long hard work would lead me somewhere.”
Though getting selected for the fashion week was not an easy feat, a much greater challenge awaited her. It was to come up with the designs that proved to be the best amongst the designers who were selected.And that “Break the rule” formula helped her leave a mark during the fashion week.
Unprecedented display of colors and use of fabrics such as light-weight wool for the summer opposed the trend. But her new approach left no room for complains.
Apart from that, her apparels and accessories in earthy tones were equally beautiful. Designs in colorful prints stitched out of silk screen print technique also put her in limelight. Bold colors such as hot pink, bold orange, mustard yellow, olive green and silver grey are some of the hues that define her collection.
“Playing with colors is my specialty,” she shared. And for this, she credits the late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Along with him, her other source of inspiration is Andy Goldsworthy, whose installation art inspires Seema’s collections.
First inspiration
As a nurse, the 31-year-old spent most of her time at the hospital. But despite her hectic schedule, she hardly missed watching Fashion TV after returning home from work. Although a nurse by profession, Seema spent most of her free time reading fashion magazines.
Notwithstanding time constraints, Seema decided to study fashion designing. She juggled her time as a part-time nurse and simultaneously studied fashion and completed her Advanced Diploma course in the subject.
Seema not only went on to become a nurse at Saint George Hospital in Sydney, but also a potential fashion designer.
A lot of things inspired Seema’s fashion week stint. Nevertheless, for Seema, her mother Yaam Maya Gajurba Magar, was the first source of inspiration. “I loved wearing the colorful sweaters, poncho, muffler that my mother knitted when we lived in Sai Kong in Hong Kong.” Recalling her young days, she adds, “I feel I developed an interest in fashion during those days.”
Kathmandu calling
A month ago Seema was on a visit to the capital. Clad in jeans and converse, she looked like a college girl. “Jeans is never out of fashion,” she said. “A lot has changed since 1994 in Kathmandu, mainly, fashion. I feel like I’m in one of the lanes in the UK.”
Though mass market has a tight grip over the fashion scene there, “Kathmandu is fashionable,” Seema said. “We have to appreciate the effect of globalization. After all, being fashionable does not always mean having a fetish for brands."
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