Chinese New Year is often associated with tradition, but this year, a few Malaysian fashion designers are breaking the mould. They have come up with collections that are a little less classic than what one would expect for the festivities.
Think crop tops, corsets, baby doll dresses and red carpet gowns, but still with oriental elements that evoke the right vibe for the celebrations. There are even those who are not favouring the colour red.
Wynka, a Borneo-based label, pays tribute to old-world glamour – but, according to the description, the designs are interpreted using a different “style lens”.
“Fashion trends continuously evolve, blending tradition with modern design,” explains Karen Lau, Wynka’s founder and designer.
“However, the common cultural theme for Chinese New Year remains and has carried through. This is seen in the bright colours and colourful cheongsam designs.”
Not only that, the collection comprises off-shoulder designs, as well as avant-garde, loose cuts.
Lau says that she loves and has been drawn to vintage couture, but such pieces are very unique. Hence, translating the craftsmanship into today’s modern fashion can be challenging.
“The aspiration of this collection is about reconciling vintage elements from the 1980s era to a modern sophistication,” she notes.
Read more: YearStarter 2023: Style - Malaysian fashion roars back as runways return
Ringing in the new year with modernity
Perhaps there is no stopping evolution, even when it comes to traditional attires.
“It’s exciting to see how the cheongsam has evolved over the years. Designers are getting more and more creative with updating it, blending modernity with classic sophistication,” says Lau.
Yet, she thinks the core elements are still there in the clothes.
Lau loves reflecting on past memories. To her, Chinese New Year is about family and friends gathering to welcome the lunar new year.
Her designs thus evoke the same sentimentality – if not the aesthetic. That said, her colour palette is still festive.
“The use of bright colours remain the fundamental theme,” she stresses.
The same cannot be said of another Malaysian designer, Kel Wen, who is opting for the colour black.
He says that maybe it is time to rethink what is considered taboo. To him, designers should be breaking the rules.
“Oversized designs, corsets and more crop tops!” he enthuses, when asked about this year’s festive fashion.
“At Behati, we set the fashion trends for Chinese New Year.”
Saying that he is literally “breaking traditions”, he points to how black designs are his label’s best-sellers this year.
“Black is supposed to be an ‘inappropriate’ colour for the festivities, but somehow we discovered that youths prioritise style more than following the traditional dress code,” he claims.
Kel Wen does however, offer a range of more classic designs like the Tang suit for men. He says he is inspired by the Qing dynasty of China, but wants to see fashion from that period of time brought into the cyberspace era.
In another attempt to change up Chinese New Year fashion, he incorporates traditional fabrics of different races into his designs.
“I hope to remind people that having a multiracial culture is our most valuable possession as Malaysians, and to exchange and merge our traditions together with each other creates more possibilities in art and life,” he quips.
Read more: How designers like Malaysia's Melinda Looi are weaving heritage into fashion
Festive fashion
Our loved ones are of course an important part of Chinese New Year, but to many, it won’t feel celebratory if we don’t wear new clothes for the occasion.
“My most fond memory of Chinese New Year is my family photo. Once a year we get to put on our best looks and take a group picture,” Kel Wen says.
“It signifies a phase of my life, and it shows me how much I’ve grown as a person after the year.”
The obligatory snaps from people showing off their festive fashion are something he looks forward to, as well.
“My favorite part is definitely to see the Behati OOTDs (outfit of the day) on social media for day one of Chinese New Year,” Kel Wen admits.
To revamp Malaysian Chinese New Year fashion, one has to look beyond geographical borders too.
Brian Khoo is basing his collection on 1920s New York City, more specifically, the aesthetic from acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby.
He explains that Chinese culture is very much international, as seen in the success of films and television series such as Crazy Rich Asians, Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings and Fresh Off The Boat.
His Chinese New Year designs pay tribute to Anna May Wong, considered to be the first Chinese-American Hollywood actress to gain international recognition.
“She has since paved the way and created opportunities for so many producers, directors and actors of Chinese heritage to be involved in the entertainment industry,” Khoo points out.
“Hence, Chinese culture is being represented in films, media and fashion more than ever.”
Known for his risque fashion creations, Khoo’s festive designs denote an unyielding expressions of sensuality and provocativeness.
Not afraid to push the boundaries, he believes times are changing and festive fashion has to change along with it.
“Traditionally, a lot of people tend to only wear red during Chinese New Year but in recent years, people seem to be more bold and experimental, wearing different colours and more extravagant designs,” he says.
“I think that the fashion for Chinese New Year is constantly evolving and I always look forward to see what people are wearing throughout the period.”
Although Khoo is bringing a more Hollywood vibe with his collection, he believes it still pays respect to his roots.
His designs do include motifs like chrysanthemum flowers, dragons and cranes.
“Creating my label’s Chinese New Year collection is always very special and memorable to me. As a Chinese, I love embracing my heritage and culture through my work.”
His advice for people looking to go all out with the dressing for the festivities this year?
“Be authentic. Be yourself,” Khoo says, adding that everyone should not let fashion get in the way of celebrating.
“Wear something comfortable since you’re going to be meeting a lot of people and eating lots of good food.”
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