Ahead of the final night, the energy backstage buzzed with a mix of nerves, excitement and relief, while the runway became a stage for last impressions and bold finales. The week was brought to a close with a powerful finale, with the designers: Gabrielle Fenech, Isaac Fenech, and Charles & Ron.
Show 1: Gabrielle Fenech
Our first conversation is with Gabrielle Fenech who introduced the final night with a collection titled, ‘Layers of Memory’. Gabrielle’s concept is rooted in myth and memory, and anchored in the symbolism of pomegranate. The ritual of peeling a pomegranate was taught to Gabrielle by her grandmother, and the designer drew from symbolic elements related to the fruit through a mix of textures and colours.
The show began with a monologue from Gabrielle, explaining the idea behind the collection. Formal fabrics were used to create casual looks, and the designer played with the idea of what is distinctly formal or casual. Mixing modern and contemporary elements with more traditional corset style and peplum elements, the collection is divided into three representations: the skin, the seed and the rotting. For the designer, the skin of the pomegranate represented innocence of childhood. Drawing from Greek mythology, where Persephone’s fate was altered when she ate pomegranate seeds in the Underworld, the second part of the collection represented adolescence, with a certain angst present in her dark colour palette. The final looks were inspired by the final part of the pomegranate’s life cycle: rotting.
Gabrielle’s concept had a transformative quality that unfolded throughout her line-up. The transformation culminated in the striking 14th look. In contrast to the classic white dress seen fourth, her 14th look incorporated layered tulle and lace. From then on, the collection itself evolved. The final look, Gabrielle said it “allows me to be really free”. The final pieces that followed felt visually altered, impacted by those pivotal moments of ageing.
Show 2 – Isaac Fenech
Isaac Fenech’s collection ‘On the Board’ was the second show of the night. The collection comprised of both evening looks and lighter pieces. This included corsets made out of silk-taffeta and lighter charmeuse pieces. The concept of ‘On the board’ was discussed in our chat, and Isaac explained how the looks were derived from the game of chess.
“Our existence is a lot like chess pieces, all the pieces have a limited move set, and you can’t break out of those move sets”.
This collection is particularly interesting for its poetic and philosophical qualities. As the designer explained, “we can visualise anything, but our reality can only offer a limited movement, because of class, upbringing, economic status”. Therefore, delving into the contrast between reality and the limitless possibilities of dreams, and relating this to human life, Isaac described how pawns march to the other side to become more powerful. “They are forced to march forward, but the risk of being removed is always present.”
A further parallel is that the queen is the most powerful piece on the board whilst the king is the centre of the game, even though it’s one of the weakest pieces. This nuanced idea revealed itself when we discussed Isaac’s concept in relation to society, and he questioned, “could it be a positive thing that society is structured that way? Do we need leaders who are reliant and dependable, not impressive?”. Importantly, his point was about neither strength and power nor gender binaries, but rather questioning how we define leadership, and whether quiet resilience should be more widely valued.
Classical music during the show brought a classical spirit to the contemporary looks. The silhouettes were inspired by the chess pieces themselves. The designer listed the first as a pawn, the second: a rook, the 9th look referring to the bishop and final two looks are queens. Isaac believes in learning from past techniques, and incorporated a strikingly-refined quality. The quality of the finish present in each piece is noteworthy: each piece is made to measure and the designer will be taking orders from today.
Show 3 – Charles & Ron
The show which closed this year’s edition of Malta Fashion Week was the current spring/summer 2025 collection by Charles & Ron titled, ‘Beneath the Waves’. During our conversation, the designers explained that they were inspired by underwater photography. While they usually draw inspiration from on land culture, “to bring out that element of appreciation and preservation of what Malta and Gozo have to offer”, this collection was inspired by what is found beneath the water’s surface, and by the work of Eva Bast, a Gozo-based underwater photographer. These ideas were twisted into prints, so shades of blue, white, turquoise and coral were in evidence.
Movement and flow were significant aspects of the collection. Materials like chiffon and organza were two of the chosen textures to portray the movement of the sea and its motion. Images of underwater creatures were enlarged, obscuring the image, creating an aura of mystery, which parallels our relatively limited knowledge on what exactly is beneath the sea or ocean’s surface.
“…for us it’s always important to bring out those visual elements of our Maltese culture that we might take for granted”
Charles & Ron also take an environmentally conscious approach, avoiding the overproduction of garments in a collection and, where possible, incorporating material from a previous collection by reworking and transforming it to fit new pieces.
During both the design process, as inspiration, and during the show, songs from Billie Eilish’s latest album, ‘Hit me Hard and Soft’ played a role. The show began with underwater footage that set the scene for the lengthy lineup. Throughout the duration of the show the strong concept remained consistent, with each design delving deeper into the concept as it further influenced Charles and Ron’s choice of colour palette and texture. Overall, the collection was refreshing, marked by original silhouettes and a light, weightless quality.
The pacing of the show also stood out, with the timing of each exit and entrance carefully choreographed. Notably, as the first coral piece left the runway, the second entered, while other flowing and/or patterned pieces were present on the runway. This was followed by a similar rhythm between the third and fourth looks. This sense of visual symmetry echoed that of the garments’ patterned designs, adding another thoughtful layer to the show.
Charles & Ron are currently working on their 2026 Spring/Summer collection, with a show coming up in October. The designers also hinted at an international show later this year.
Speaking with the creatives behind each collection brought a whole new layer of meaning to what we saw on the runway as the designers discussed their distinct and compelling poetic concepts, translating them seamlessly into designs. Last night was a fitting conclusion to a week that celebrated creativity, identity, and fearless self-expression.
And next week, I’ll be digging deeper in an opinion piece.
See our previous articles on Malta Fashion Week 2025
Malta Fashion Week 2025: Day 1
Malta Fashion Week 2025: Day 2
Malta Fashion Week 2025: Day 3
Malta Fashion Week 2025: Day 4
and
Behind the scenes with Rebecca Delia, Day 1
Behind the scenes with Rebecca Delia, Day 2
Behind the scenes with Rebecca Delia, Day 3