The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2023 - Issue 34

bitecatwalk L ondon-based fashion designer Mary Martin breaks cultural boundaries with her award-winning colourful, textured, vibrant art couture. Her collections have sold out catwalk shows in London, Accra, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa and Scotland. With Black culture at the heart of her creativity, Mary was named Queen Mother by the King and his people of Mafi Anfoe/Volta Region Ghana for her charitable works. She is the first Black woman to show her work at the For- eign and Commonwealth Office in the heart of Westminster, placing people of colour as aristocrats. Mary’s bedazzling ‘Divine Intervention’ collection was truly from heaven. As ‘Zina’ by Babylone played, the show opened with an elaborately masked model wearing a long, off-the- shoulder, ruffled, layered white dress. The designer incorporat- ed menswear with a glittering golden suit befitting a king or authoritative figure. As the male model walked back down the runway, he linked arms with a similarly sparkling dressed mod- el in a thigh-high split dress under a high-neck cloak. More sparkle strutted down the runway, including a ruched, layered puff skirt with a crocheted top, followed by another glit- tery, thigh-high, split dress with a feather-like stole. The pattern followed in the next two looks: the layered ruched look floating down the runway with gold and silver touches. A crotchet-like apparel with oversized lace sleeves changed the theme briefly, only to be rekindled with a gorgeous hooded front-split dress in brocade fabric with a sheer butterfly print frilly shawl. The glitter gave way to a frilly look in a layered ruched dress. The same sheer butterfly print on a beige top and skirt with un- derlay and frills on the neck and sleeves followed it. The next butterfly print dress with extensive sleeves was fuller, with the lace overlay draped over the puffed skirt, completed with a bow at the back. The finale and showstopper piece was a shimmering sequin one-shoulder ball gown that glittered black, purple, gold and silver with pops of blue and red under the light. https://marymartinlondon.com Mary Martin London