Photos I took of model Prom Vorleak inside Hotel Cambodiana before we started to wander outside and to photograph this set : Eric Raisina.

Modeled by Sithi Sokcham, here are some items from the collection of  The Academy for the Cambodia Fashion Week. The Academy, a collaboration of three Khmer siblings now based in Long Beach, California, features updated, structured classic coats and button downs in block hues and subtle prints.

Inspired by Morris Louis’s colorfield paintings and the New Cambodian architecture of Vann Molyvann, the collection is titled ‘FIELDS,’ for Spring 2012 and it is The Academy’s first capsule collection. After years of taking a slow and steady approach to designing single items, The Academy took the opportunity to create over 60 separate pieces with Phnom Penh in mind after being invited to participate in Cambodian Fashion Week. It also mounted an art exhibition at Romeet Gallery prior to the final fashion show.

“KeoK’jay (meaning bright green or fresh in Khmer) is a social enterprise that employs HIV positive women in Cambodia to produce eco-friendly fashion clothing and accessories. Our fresh designs utilize environmentally friendly processes and materials, and have a unique hand touch. They are created keeping elegance and comfort in mind with a touch of edge, defining our bold look. Through their production we give our producers a livelihood that has great impact for themselves and their families and hope to provide an example that a business can thrive without engaging in exploitative labor practices or harming the environment.” – KeoK’jay

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Eric Raisina opened the first Cambodia Fashion Week last October 28. Eric is not new to fashion week as he already showcased his collection in Europe, Paris, South Africa, around Asia, and in the US. Eric studied in École Duperré Paris and graduated with a Master’s Degree at the Institut Français de la Mode in 1999. His expertise on textiles coveted him works to create unique textures for Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix. Eric has couture houses in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh and his collection are being stocked in China, South Africa, USA and Paris.

Here is the shoot I did featuring some pieces from his collections with model Prom Vorleak of SaporsCambodia, make-up done by The DollHouse, held at Hotel Cambodiana.

Cambodiana

Eric Raisina

Two Wonders is a label born in Wellington, New Zealand and is designed by Sophea Son and Sophie Knapp. It debuted at the New Zealand Fashion Week with their Autumn/Winter collection that was based on their travel to exotic lands and their love for Cambodia. Form hugging, flowing and bias cut dresses are the trademark of Two Wonders. Hand woven silks, crepe de chine, cottons and wools are the materials used on their collection which was just shown at the Naga World Hotel for the Cambodia Fashion Week.