Artist: Malia Peoples

Malia Peoples, WASHINGTON
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My work is meant to refresh and uplift; some pieces are loud and swirl with colors, and others reflect a quiet reverence. Each piece is made with an individual’s skin tone in mind and can be worn by any gender at any age. I want people to feel seen and proud of who they are; it’s important to me that my work is accessible to all.

Formally trained as a fashion designer, I’ve been working in Seattle’s fashion industry for over a decade as a teacher, designer, and model. I am compelled to work with my hands; my current passion is the contemporary exploration of Nerikomi, hand building with colored clay. This method fulfills my need for randomness, color, and adventure while allowing me to deepen my studio practice.

I’m constantly exploring ways to subvert the excessively gray seasons by creating colorful, wearable items that generate warmth and uplift the spirit. As a Hapa-Hawaiian, raised shivering among the trees in the rainy Pacific Northwest, I am keenly aware of our need for light. Radiant, hand-painted gold details are added to each of my pieces to create a brilliant shine. Working with colored porcelain and gold is a way for me to celebrate my ancestral home while creating a point of light that you can take with you every day.

 

Education

2007 Certificate: Fashion Design & Construction, NYFA, Seattle, WA

2004 Bachelor of Arts: Chinese Language and Literature, University of Washington, Seattle, WA

 

Select Teaching Experience

2019-Present Teaching Artist, community sewing, repair, and recycled textiles program, Seattle Housing Authority, Seattle, WA

2018-2019 Teaching Artist, community upcycling textiles, Muses Conscious Fashion Studio, Seattle, WA

2018 Teaching Artist, E-textiles, making circuits and sewing LED and batteries into textiles, Seattle Public Library, Seattle, WA

2018 Teaching Artist, SAM’s Teen Arts Group, Story Jackets inspired by the exhibit Figuring History, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

2018 Panelist, Visual Arts Career Day, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

2007-2017 Faculty, pattern making, sewing, pattern grading, measurements, garment duplication, story boards, product development, New York Fashion Academy (NYFA), Seattle, WA.

2017-2018 Ceramics Teacher, Shaping Sculptures/Functional Ceramics, Summer at Northwest School, Seattle, WA

2016-2018 Sewing Teacher, Fashion Refab, 1001…T-shirt, Summer at Northwest School, Seattle, WA

2016-2017 Teaching Artist,  Kinchaku, Repurposed Fashion workshops, Wing Luke Museum, Seattle, WA

2016 Teaching Artist, Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style, Wearables, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

2016 Teaching Artist, Atlas Obscura, Studio tour and Kinchaku workshop, Seattle, WA

2016 Teaching Artist, Teen Sewing Workshop, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

2015 Teaching Artist, Made in____: Behind the Seams of our T-shirt, Wing Luke Museum YouthCAN, Seattle, WA

2013 Teaching Artist, Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion, Japanese Street Fashion & repurposing clothing workshop, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

 

Advisory Committees

2019 Advisor; Educator Resource Guide, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Seattle, WA

2018 Advisor; Victorian Radicals, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

2012 Artist/Advisor, Fashion: From Workroom to Runway; Wing Luke Museum, Seattle, WA

 

Awards/Grants

2019 Winner, Innoventures Business Pitch Competition, Seattle, WA

2011 Winner, Seamless in Seattle Design Competition, Seattle, WA

 

Exhibitions

2019 Designer, Designing Sustainable Fashion, Museum of History and Industry, Seattle, WA

2017 Designer, Art Under 100, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

2013 Designer, Fashion Night at the Wing, Wing Luke Museum, Seattle, WA

2013 Artist/Emcee, Seattle Hempfest Fashion Show, Myrtle Edwards Park, Seattle, WA

2012 Designer From Workroom to Runway, Wing Luke Museum, Seattle, WA

2012 Designer, Pink Carpet Project Fashion Show, Fred Wildlife, Seattle, WA

2011 Designer, Fashion First, Showbox Sodo, Seattle, WA

2011 Designer, Seamless in Seattle, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

2010 Designer, SAM Remix, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA

 

Affiliations

2018-present Washington Clay Arts Association

2019-present Seattle Chamber of Commerce

 

Press

2014 Northwest Asian Weekly: J-pop Inspired Clothing Designer Moves Studio http://nwasianweekly.com/2014/03/j-pop-inspired-clothing-designer-moves-studio-sassafras-belltown/

2012 The Seattle Channel: Art Zone with Nancy Guppy http://www.seattlechannel.org/embedvideoplayer?videoid=x22477

2012 Seattle Magazine: Seamless in Seattle Winner Malia Peoples http://www.seattlemag.com/article/seamless-seattle-winner-malia-peoples

2012 The Seattle Times: Wing Luke’s Fashion Exhibit Features Designers… https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/wing-lukes-fashion-exhibit-features-designers-garments-8212-and-their-stories/

2012 Northwest Asian Weekly: Wing Luke Museum Debuts “Fashion” http://nwasianweekly.com/2012/08/wing-luke-museum-debuts-fashion-workroom-to-runway-exhibit/

2011 The Stranger: Malia Peoples: Doll Clothes…                                 https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/worn-out/Content?oid=10794795

2009 Northwest Asian Weekly: J Fashion Gains Ground… http://nwasianweekly.com/2009/04/j-fashion-gains-ground-on-the-other-side-of-the-pacific/