Born to Cambodian refugees and raised across Aetoera and Naarm, Melissa is a multi-disciplinary creative who uses fashion, art, design and/or words as her forms of medium expression. Owing to the ancestral Cambodian, Chinese and Indian-Arabic stories of her lineage, being creatively outspoken is an essential part of Melissa’s identity.

Both her maternal grandparents were dressmakers and tailors, her paternal grandfather was a local town mayor and musician, whilst her great-uncle was an architect. These influences directly tie in with her signature aesthetic: wholesome, abstract, tastefully colourful, and sometimes political by necessity. Through her namesake studio, Tidah produces various projects from big to small, specialising in producing brand stories.