Fashion is no longer what it used to be. The need to go digital, in addition to a changing social and environmental role, has made the industry a challenging one to be in at the moment.
Yet, young designers are not shying away from staking a claim in this oft-believed to be a (although, not always true) lucrative industry. Malaysia has more than its share of young and eager talents willing to brave the new waters.
Twenty-one-year-old twins Aina Sophia and Aini Sophi Shamsol Zailan founded their own streetwear business last year – at the peak of the pandemic. They were unfazed by the upheavals affecting even the most seasoned of designers.
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“We were prepared to start from the bottom, ” Aini says. “It was difficult trying to get the word out without physical events, but we continuously worked at expanding our online presence during that time.”
Their Ghadeez label offers hoodies, sweatshirts, T-shirts and more. The idea actually came from their mum, who saw the opportunity in transforming the Malay word gadis (girl) into something cheeky and modern.
“Our friends saw the way we dressed and they loved it. Our slogan has always been ‘explore your true style’, which is about putting your own spin to things and embracing a unique fashion sense.”
Energetic, exuberant and effectual
While Aini and her sister did not study design (instead, majoring in business), they don’t see a problem with picking up the necessary skills while on the job. Both of them have a huge love for fashion.
It is also their belief that Malaysia has the potential to shine in the international fashion scene. They claim that being multicultural can be a big asset, more so now than ever, as diversity is a trend.
“We do think that our country can export its fashion," Aini comments on Malaysia’s strengths. “Our industry has its own market, and of course, not forgetting our abundance of creativity when it comes to style.”
Another young designer happy to have hit the ground running is Dickson Lim. He never went to a fashion school and is proud to be self-taught. His menswear debuted at the 2020 Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week (KLFW) to great fanfare.
“I have the benefit of a fresh perspective. I was never conditioned to follow the fixed norms of fashion. Hence, it’s easier for me to break the rules of fashion as I never knew them," Lim, 21, says.
He has faced many challenges in his journey to become a designer – some of them being criticisms and a lack of support from those close to him, yet Covid-19 was not perceived to be a hurdle.
“To some, the pandemic may be a tragedy to cope with. Some are waiting for the pandemic to be over before they start their journey. But I want to start now and waste no time, no matter the circumstance, to be ahead of the curve.”
Read more: How the Malaysian modelling industry took the pandemic in stride, and survived
“They thought of me pursuing fashion as a waste of time, ” he relates. “When I first started designing, everyone judged me. They said my designs were odd. But I still persisted.”
His menswear is aimed at introducing reimagined tailoring. He calls his creations “unconventional constructions with strong aesthetics”, and tries being innovative when breaking the boundaries of fashion.
“I do hope that Malaysians get the chance to shine and showcase our work to the world. We, as young creatives, are the ones who are going to shape the future of fashion," Lim comments.
Drive and ambition
For the designers who recently graduated from fashion school and are now trying to carve their path in the industry, it is about standing out from the crowd. Having invested years in studying, they may feel the need to prove themselves.
Zaff Jibby however, is realistic. He knows that it won’t be a walk in the park, and is prepared for a lengthy journey – from building trust among customers to lasting long enough to see the results.
“Fame is not even the goal in being a good fashion designer if you cannot sustain your fashion label and maintain your customer profile," Zaff, who is turning 26 this year, points out.
He credits his mum and aunt for introducing him to the world of fashion. They currently own two boutiques, having started from a small booth at a weekend market. That said, he has always been creative.
“I have a passion for drawing since I was a kid. You could say it was due to my fascination with comics. I still remember how I would put aside a few extra school notebooks specially for me to draw cartoons.”
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He uses the colour blood red, along with 3-D embellishments comprising yarn of various sizes, beading and mesh to create texture resembling human nerves. The visual concept is based on one of his paintings.
Having lived through the upheavals of last year, he says maybe it is time that we come to terms with the “new norm”. He commends fashion for now being more socially clued in and diverse.
“It’s not about what people need to wear anymore, it’s what people want to wear. In fact, I’ve decided to make androgynous fashion part of my label’s DNA. Gender norms should not restrict someone from feeling good about themselves," Zaff says.
Zubaida Sahar, 29, has been in the scene for a handful of years now. But compared to veterans like Khoon Hooi, Melinda Looi or Datuk Seri Bernard Chandran, she is very much still the ingenue in Malaysian fashion.
Asked to sum up the past year, she says it is a time when the industry transformed from “a social to digital social community”.
As for her label Zuusaha, it plays with bright colours and experiments with quirky (some would even say strange and eerie) designs. Her debut was at the 2018 KLFW, where she caught attention with a wacky collection.
“I know of a few designers who put their business on hold during the pandemic. Others have soldiered on with virtual events, ” she comments. “Here’s hoping the industry recovers quickly.”
She adds that it is important for the next generation of local designers to push themselves and not give up.
“More platforms are needed to find new talent. Malaysia does have a lot of talent, and we need to make sure these people have a right channel to step up and out, in order to share their ideas.”
Like the rest of her peers, she does not lack enthusiasm. But only time will tell if all of them can make it in the long run. The best measure of success when it comes to fashion is sustaining a profit. Something these young designers have yet to prove.
What they don’t lack, however, is the overwhelming drive or ambition – even in the face of a global health crisis.
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