Fresh from a successful show at Phnom Penh Designers Week, designer duo Mitsou launched their new clothing collection, ‘Dreamscapes’ on June 27 at their Siem Reap studio. Their fourth collection is inspired by nature and urban shapes, and features white and pastel shades.

Mitsou founders Gaëlle Toussaint and Hélène Tijou say they are delighted with their reception at the inaugural Designers Week, held from June 13-15 at The Plantation Hotel in Phnom Penh.

“It was amazing – there were many designers with different ideas,” says Toussaint. “There were three designers a night, and we were the last designers on the first day. People liked what we did – we heard a lot of applause.”

Toussaint says the fashion presentation was a good networking opportunity – although Mitsou’s clothes are already sold in Phnom Penh, many people did not know the designers’ faces.

“Nobody knows us,” she says. “So it was good to meet people from Phnom Penh. Since Designers Week we have more fans on Facebook, more people waiting for the new collection. People have been telling us they saw our show and liked it, and asking when they can buy the clothes.”

At the Siem Reap launch, a select group of Mitsou friends and fans tried on the Dreamscapes range.

“The concept is something like a dreamy trip,” says Toussaint. “Dreamy travel in a geometrical landscape. We take inspiration from the sky – different colours in the sky and nature. All the names are from constellations, from the sky. If you look at the clothes they’re really floaty, but also very geometrical. We get a lot of inspiration from architecture too.”

The all-woman collection features items in pastel shades such as blue, pink, yellow and white. There are a couple of eye-catching items including the champagne-gold shorts and Touissaint’s favourite piece, the Libra dress – a simple, white shift dress with delicate straps worthy of Kate Moss, who is one of Toussaint and Tijou’s fashion inspirations.

“For me this dress is a must because I think it mixes all the ideas that we have in our visual storyline,” says Touissaint. “I also like long, floaty pieces. For Designers Week we tried to do more streamlined clothes.”

Touissaint says it was a dream come true seeing Mitsou’s clothes come alive on the catwalk.

“We saw the whole collection on the models and that was amazing,” says Touissaint. “When you see your clothes moving it’s just incredible. This was the biggest show we’ve done, with 15 models – it was really moving.

“It’s a really nice experience because you don’t just think about the clothes; you think about the music, the atmosphere, what you want to say to people. What your concept is.”

Mitsou plans to do a new collection sometime in the next six months. Watch this space…