One of Ma Palei’s designs.

WHEN she was young, she was always in her parents’ garment factory – playing with a piece of cloth or a ball of thread, sometimes falling asleep in a pile of clothes.

Now Ma Palei is a fashion designer known throughout the country, holding her own in a field long dominated by men. In the industry she is renowned for the dress coats worn by Nandar Hlaing, Academy Award winner for best actress 2002.

Although she is a successful designer, she says she never went to fashion school here or abroad. Studying at university at the same time she was managing her parents’ garment factory, she says she learned a lot from foreign technicians working there.

“Factory work didn’t give me the chance to attend other training, but I gained a lot of experience working with foreigners,” says the 34-year-old Mawlamyine native.

“Since childhood, I have always dreamed of being a fashion designer,” she adds. “I think I have talent when it comes to fashion, so whenever I went out, I chose the dress myself.”

In 2004, her dream came true when she opened Ivy, a fashion house on Inya Road in Yangon. Due to her hard work and sought-after designs, during the two-year span of her career she has built up a steady base of regular customers, including singers and actresses.

She started out with 10 workers. Now, due to rising demand for her creations, she has bumped her staff up to 20.

“In my career, I have not encountered any difficulties,” she says, adding that her childhood background in the garment business has been one of her strengths.
Yet she continually tries to improve on her natural talents, studying fashion design books on her own every day.

She says she never regrets that she lacks diplomas and other qualifications. But she complains that finding fashion accessories is rather difficult in Myanmar.

“We can’t make the outfits right away when we want, because accessories are very rare and difficult to buy,” she says. “If I was in another country now, my creations would be much greater.”

Despite the difficulties, she says she tries to make the best-quality garments she can for her customers, adding that her traditional and modern bridal dresses are very popular.

“In my fashion house, I bring in the best lace, silk and fashion accessories for customers at reasonable prices,” she says.

She says it’s important for the designers and tailors who work in her shop too look fashionable at all times – though some days, she adds, this can become rather tedious.

“As designers, we must dress smartly, because when my customers come to my fashion house, the first thing they see is the clothes we’re wearing,” she says.

“But sometimes we are in no mood for this, because we spend all our time making other people’s clothes.”

This year was a milestone for Ma Palei – she held her first fashion show, along with friends who are also designers, in May.

“In fact, we had only two months to prepare for our show. To make matters worse, I could not arrange any outfits till the last week of April because I was so busy with customers’ tailormade dresses,” she says.

“But I can make the best of great ideas when I am under pressure,” she says, promising that she will try to hold shows once a year from now on.