artist herstory

As lead designer of MCD, Melissa Clemente first established herself in Toronto’s fashion communities with her lavish one-of-a-kind signature pieces. She has since created impressive collections that have garnered attention worldwide.

Drawing inspiration from her Filipino background and her artistic family and friends the young designer consistently looks to the environment around her for inspiration. Coming from an artistically nurturing family and community, Clemente is heavily influenced by the Filipino art forms of costuming, folk dance, and mythology. Her designs and style are natural, focusing on the fluidity and movement of each piece of jewelry and its placement on the body.

“I believe that details make the difference. The objective is not to wear combinations or coordinates that are pre-meditated by someone else. The idea is to be more intrepid with our fashion sense using the simplest accenting. I’d like to encourage women to own their look, be comfortable and most certainly, have fun with it."

Melissa Clemente Designs aims to challenge the more conventional approaches of accessory considerations. MCD collections are as much a statement on a runway as they are sculptures that any curator would be inclined to recruit for an exhibit. Clearly, experimental couture lives at the bottom of this designer’s heart. With a background in sterling metal work, pottery, and glass she has organized and participated in numerous trade shows, L’Oreal Fashion Week, Ottawa Fashion Week as well as worked alongside various Toronto artist collectives.

Melissa Clemente moves away from traditional shapes of jewelry and accessories with ‘out of the box’ ideas. She continues to take risks and an unconventional design path. As the pieces are a form of expression for Melissa, they also become a form of expression for the client who wears it.