Carro designers Westwood (left) and Wass were recognised as the best fashion designers at My Gaya Month: The Finale 2021 ceremony. - AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
ALTHOUGH it was launched on Oct 18 this year, the ‘My Gaya Month’ (My Gaya) programme that brought together 30 local fashion designers has already exceeded its targets in helping the economic recovery of fashion industry players, through the Buy Malaysian Products Campaign 2021 (KBBM).
The month-long campaign saw results eclipsing the original target of RM250,000 to achieve RM402,121 in sales, said Malaysian Bumiputra Designer Association (MBDA) president Rasta Rashid.
“This is a very proud achievement for us, although we were initially nervous about whether we could hit the target, what more when the situation in the country is still in the Covid-19 pandemic. Thankfully, the 30 designers under MBDA have proven otherwise,” she said at the My Gaya Month: The Finale ceremony, which was held at the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry’s (KPDNHEP) multipurpose hall in Putrajaya on Nov 19.
Rasta said that the first-time collaboration is a success in bringing KBBM to new heights, in addition to giving fashion designers and local industry players a much needed breathing space during the pandemic.
“It also brings awareness to Malaysian society on the importance of supporting locally-made products. When these two bridges are combined into one, it helps build a good ecosystem for the industry, because as everyone knows, the pandemic that has been ongoing for nearly two years has badly affected many sectors.
Hasnol (centre) chats with Westwood (second from left) and Wass (fourth from left), while Bon Zainal (left) and Rasta look on. - AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
“With programmes like My Gaya Month, it not only spurs the business sector but also opens up all kinds of opportunities for employment for various parties.
“Thus, we see this programme and KBBM as an excellent platform that we hope can be continued next year,” she opined.
The event was also attended by KPDNHEP secretary-general Datuk Seri Hasnol Zam Zam Ahmad and MBDA founder Bon Zainal Harun.
The My Gaya Month MBDA programme, the result of a cooperation with KPDNHEP in conjunction with KBBM 2021, has the objective of bringing together various fashion designs to upgrade the standards of the local and global markets.
By doing so, the initiative indirectly helped stimulate Malaysia’s economy through KBBM, in addition to raising the spirits of local fashion designers to continue forging on with their creations and designs to further spark excitement for the industry among local consumers.
According to Hasnol, KPDNHEP hopes that initiatives such as these can be increased in the future, as it not only brings benefits to fashion designers, but has also received very encouraging response from art enthusiasts and other entrepreneurs.
Apart from that, local retailers such as Metrojaya, Al Ikhsan and e-commerce platforms such as Fashion Hub MBDA, Vettons, Aladdin1, Shopee, Lazada and Zalora have also agreed to cooperate in ensuring the success of KBBM.
He added, “The initiative has created a platform for companies and agencies such as Google Malaysia to collaborate and give support to help improve the branding standards for Malaysian products.
“This is what is called the push factor strategic ecosystem that has been built under MBDA’s purview. I’ve been informed that MBDA will continue highlighting KBBM for continuous cooperation, in turn making Malaysia a solid brand both locally and globally.”
At the same time, the My Gaya Month ceremony also showcased videos on the creations and collections of all 30 fashion designers under MBDA.
Two fashion designers hailing from the brand Carro, namely Mark Westwood and Caroline Wass, were also given recognition as the best fashion designers.
Carro put forward a range of fashion wear, including clothes for sports and outdoor activities, golf polo shirts and corporate fashion.
In receiving the accolade, Westwood said that the recognition has boosted his spirits to continue producing various exciting creations in the future, noting that the My Gaya programme has opened up a lot of opportunities for Carro to grow during these difficult times.
“The pandemic has taught us a lot about the meaning of trying hard and not giving up.
“I must admit it was not easy during that period, but the different programmes and campaigns such as My Gaya and support from KPDNHEP have boosted our spirits,” he said.
