How did this come about?
The conversation about working with the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) happened quite organically. We have been discussing working with nonprofits in collaboration with each season. Previously, I have done work with the Nomi Network and the Model Alliance; however, not in collaboration with a collection launch. This was our first partnership in tandem with a fashion week collection, and as the upcoming Spring-Summer 2024 collection was inspired by Elton John’s performance on The Muppet Show, it was a perfect fit! Through outreach with my PR team, Agentry PR, we were able to connect with the EJAF team, and got the ball rolling from there!
What about the Muppet video inspired you?
There was something about remembering the magic of sitting on the carpet of my childhood home and seeing Elton John with all the feathers, sequins, and crocodiles expressing limitless joy and excitement. When this episode was filmed, Elton was trying to dress more traditionally to be taken more seriously. Of course, as we know from the rhinestone swim cap and ostrich feathers, simple dressing didn’t happen when filming with the Muppets.
The more I thought about this, the more I was struck by the thought that as we grow. We often dim what excites us in order to be taken more seriously. In the end, Elton returned to his colorful and expressive outfits, nodding to traditional tailoring, which is what stood out to me. As children, we go through an evolution and experience fearless joy and expression, but as adults it dims. If we’re lucky enough, we are able to find our way back to that fearlessness and appreciation of our own individualism.
Why did you designate the Elton John AIDS Foundation?
While I have been a big fan of Elton John for most of my life, I wanted to find a way to give back, and working with the Elton John AIDS Foundation was the perfect way to do so. I am lucky to have a history with nonprofit work, mostly surrounding the combating of human trafficking. When I launched MELKE, I knew that our work would not only involve sustainability in regards to material usage and human rights, it would also involve connecting to other communities to support the cause for basic human rights. That is why I chose to partner with the EJAF and support their mission of providing individuals with the care they need in order to live lives with dignity, which we can all agree is a human right.
Has Elton seen the designs? If so, what was his reaction?
Not to my knowledge, but you never know!
