By Hannah Yakobi

Mathieu Mirano has come a long way in the last year.

The designer, who has a background in fine arts and classical piano, has only produced two collections so far, but the latest one has already taken him to the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York.

Mirano’s work is a perfect reflection of his travels and the designer says that he generally tends to draw inspiration from many places, ranging from London and Milan to Cairo and Shanghai.

Mirano talks to reporters at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

He is also influenced by many composers, such as Camille Saint-Saëns and Philip Glass.

His fall/winter 2012 collection at MBFW had exceptional tailoring and a strong influence of Eastern motifs.

The designer opted for a wide spectrum of fabrics: silk chiffons and organzas, leather, wool and fur. He skillfully superimposed these, often in a single item, creating a layered look that is widely popular this season.

Floor and 3/4-length dresses and skirts took centrestage, with a focus on body-hugging pieces.

Mirano’s top colours for fall were deep red, black, gold and muted blue. Most pieces were presented in a solid colour that was occasionally accentuated with sun-ray patterns and embellishments.

Mirano said that his collection was inspired by women who conquered dragons.

In fact, there were several dragon heads hanging from the ceiling above the models, who lined up on the pedestal-like presentation catwalk and gracefully stood above the audience, projecting much poise and confidence.

Intricately constructed dragons hang over the heads of models.

Guests walked around the room, snapped photos of models and talked with the designer himself, who was chatting with anyone who had questions.

The collection, as well as Mirano’s approach to fashion, were powerful and impressive, while his attention to detail, construction of every piece and the entire execution were impeccable.

He has a great future ahead of him.

Mathieu Mirano, fall/winter 2012

Photography by Nicole McLaren