Seoul shopping

My travel itinerary is not complete without a particular segment for window shopping/wallet-damaging session. In Seoul everything looks particularly expensive (not just clothes necessarily), especially the usual international fast fashion chains like H&M or Uniqlo. My tips is to go to the high streets of Myeongdong or Shinsadong (in Gangnam area) rife with Korean high-street brands (still a tad expensive but they have the quintessential K-Pop sleekness if that's what you're after), and needless to say cosmetics/skincare retailers like Nature Republic, Innisfree, The Face Shop, Skin Food, Missha are in abundance and priced better compared to the Malaysian counterparts. But for those who incline towards 'rarer' designer items, head on to the Dongdaemun area for cool and relatively affordable young Korean designer labels all housed in one modern complex called Doota. And certain neighbourhood like Itaewon boasts a slew of indie shops offering interesting curiosities that might not be available back home. 

Don't Thisappear

There is a good amount of respectable local fashion stores that are sprouting these past few years despite the well known fact that it's not an easy feat to sustain a fashion-related business in the country, let alone to push the fashion boundaries further with unorthodox business strategy. We all have heard about one of the alternatives in fashion Lah Lah Land closing its physical doors, and quite some time ago MUSA with its hyper-experimental merchandising strategy that unfortunately did not fare well with Malaysians' predictably safe fashion sense. How I truly hope that no more interestingly unconventional shop meet that same fate!

Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA opening

As a self-proclaimed shopaholic (a term that I cringe at to be associated with, but undeniably it is who I am), I've always on the lookout for discounted items be it online or offline. A bargain hunter, a discount hound, a promotion prowler - all these terms are quite naturally me, and promotions on the radio or the sight of slashed prices on merchandises would be the proverbial music to my ears and my version of eye candy. Up to a point that my friends are reluctant to go out with me just because I spend too much time ogling for the best designer bargains during our outings. So it was with a great excitement that I heard that the latest addition to Malaysia's 'proper' outlet malls (after Johor Premium outlet) was opening in due time this weekend.

Jovian Mandagie's Art Deco for Zalora

It's a Raya fashion show galore for the past two months and I have been struggling to follow an astounding list of designer collabs with notable e-tailers in Malaysia. But Jovian Mandagie's printastic, design-laden collection for Zalora's Eid 2015 is one of the shows that I managed to pay attention to. Well, who would miss the celebrated Indonesian-born designer's collection launch with all the public relations fanfare that surrounded the event?

Discovering Malaysian Talents

Even though I was honestly skeptical with homegrown talent but now I'm glad that I am wrong. What with a bevy of young designers from all over the country, the Malaysian fashion industry seems like an excitingly fresh scene to nurture new design flair. Lately I have been eyeing a few labels and for me this three is the intriguing lot as far as newness is concerned:

Farewell Lah Lah Land

Eddie and Sun Khiew from Lah Lah Land

I was quite shocked to learn (from Instagram) that one of the most interesting independent stores in Kuala Lumpur is sadly meeting its final days of physical store appearance (they have been residing on the sixth floor of Sungei Wang Plaza for quite a while now). I have a fond memory of Lah Lah Land as one of, if not the only one shop that sells specialty vintage clothing in KL. And it was good to see them progressing into providing much needed flavour in the KL street fashion by introducing a selection of regional designers that are interesting and definitely unconventional.

Craig Green freshness

In the early days of Dunia Fashyon, I used to see fashion as an outlet to get all frivolous, fun and carefree. I did not see fashion as a platform that could enforce critical thinking; I doubted that it could make men ponder about garments through collections, let alone to have a serious and meaningful contemplation. It was too easy to have such perspective after years of struggling in a 'legitimately serious' world that is the field of medicine; being surrounded by people who are not necessarily like minded did not help much either.

Zalora Fashion Festival - Raya Collection

Zalora once again releases their much anticipated Raya collection with four emerging Malaysian designers. It's good to know that collaborations with giant online fashion retailers like Zalora shed much needed light on the creatives - meaning more exposure, a chance to be a household name (like Rizalman and Jovian) and of course, improving revenues. Personally I love doing some research online prior to making a purchase, thus this platform suits demographics like me, who love to ponder and compare before deciding to click that 'buy' button. The launch of the collection was held recently at Pullman Hotel Bangsar, where hundreds of guest (including celebs) were present to witness to collection firsthand.

Camper revolution

I've always been following Spanish footwear export Camper. In fact there were a few occurrences when I was itching to purchase Camper Together models, notably the ones from Bernhard Willhelm collab. Alas, further research revealed the company uses pig skin lining for most of the shoes. Religion versus fashion has always been a personal battle for me, but so far my stand is not to let 'frivolous' things like shoes compromise my faith and religious practice.

Scha Alyahya x Fashion Valet collaboration

I'm diverting my travel-laden blogpost with local fashion news. Too much of travel does make me miss a bit of frivolity once in a while. Having no ample time to be glued on TV like I used to before, I'm not overly well-versed with the who's who of local entertainment industry, but it's not so easy easy to ignore when it comes to Malaysia's immensely known celebrity Scha Alyahya. With her innate sense of style, it's natural to see her collaboration with notable online retailer of all South East Asian design Fashion Valet come to fruition. The Scha x FV collection features contemporary voluminous silhouettes coupled with the ever so favorable pastel tones and color blocking - predictably going to be received pretty well by the young and urban demographics of Malaysian fashion-conscious girls.

Coach Men's Boutique KLCC

I was not able to attend the new opening of the first mens-only Coach store in KL, but luckily Filzah and Fahad managed to come as reps. I just passed by the store (post launch) few weeks ago - it is a miniature corner (700sq feet) compared to the roomier womens counterparts, but am pretty sure the space will be extended come Stuart Vevers' debut collection for fall next year. Good to know that KLCC mens’ store is a design concept developed by Vevers in partnership with creative firm studio Sofield.

d'Next Artist Project at DPAC (season two)

I've been meaning to write a lengthy, well-cited post on artistic events like this one show that I've been to (courtesy of Filzah), but you know me too well not to don't you? Damansara Performing Arts Centre held its d'Next Artist Project (DNA) season one a while back, and judging from its rave reception, they prolonged the series into a second one (and the application for third and fourth seasons is already open).

Season two was a compendium of four new works by young Malaysian arts companies, showcasing fresh talents from the nascent world of Malaysian performing arts. New works are central to DNA’s second season on stage: the programmes included a multi-layered and visceral dance theatre experience by Lee Ren Xin's “B.E.D.”; In Three Minds Theatre was out there to question our moral conscience with “Jade”; Glowing Planet Production's “The Little Prince” was experimenting with the integration of live actors and visual projection; and a hip-hop/musical theatre on stage by the Perassath Servai Vedagiri's “Love Knows No Gender”.

Coach fall/winter 2014, Kuala Lumpur

Coach isn't exactly under my usual artistic label focus but I am aware of its commercial success with practical and functional leather-ware. The mammoth brand's reputation has been attributed to its diverse range of handbags that fit casual and office settings (being a household name Coach bags are coveted by my sister, cousins and even my aunts). But what I can say is their previous offerings may be still not necessarily my stylistic cup of tea.

60 Years of Made in Italy

Looking back at Dunia Fashyon posts it's quite easy to see that I've been quite obsessed with the label 'Made in Italy' - to me it conjures the image of fine craftsmanship especially in leather-ware and even clothing items. Even though I know that it's quite a rarity these days to find anything genuinely 'Italian' - the book Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas sheds a light on the scandal of putting a premium price on all things purportedly made in Italy, when some parts of an item are actually Chinese-made and the finishing touches and labels are only then finally done in Italy. Can't help but to feel naïve and cheated somehow...

Merdeka Day like no other (part 2)

We had to say goodbye to Malchik who had to catch his flight to Kuala Terengganu. Not sure where to go next, I randomly suggested that we have a look at Coliseum Café (and hotel, though I'm not really sure where the hotel exactly is, as the second floor looks suspiciously uninhabited). So right to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman we went. It was our first time there and we didn't know what to expect. But I do know that this place has been there since the British colonial years, and it is one of the few buildings along Jalan TAR strip that did not bow down to the pressure of surrounding modernisation.

Merdeka Day like no other

When it comes to annual Merdeka (Independence) Day celebration I think I've seen it all - from the childhood/adolescent memory of attending the annual parade at Merdeka Square, watching Yasmin Ahmad's heart-wrenching Petronas merdeka adverts, to just lazing on the sofa listening to repetitive, pseudo-patriotic commentaries by TV presenters on TV1. But this time around there was something else in the book. I wasn't in Merdeka rut anymore, if you will.

Beo Menswear

I hope that I'm using Dunia Fashyon as a platform to introduce new local designers, starting with Chiyo. As Syawal is just around the corner, I think it's the perfect time to talk about what will men wear this Eid Mubarak...

You probably have read/heard about Beo Menswear being bashed on Twitter or Instagram by now. But truth be told, I kinda like the ballsy attempt.

KLFW 2014: Sandra Azwan, Pearly Wong

Sandra Azwan

Honestly speaking his ready-to-wear collection is among the ones that piqued my interest during KL Fash Week. The design is playful, wearable, and a breath of fresh air from a sea of monochrome, pastel or digital prints. The Geometrical Abstractions collection comprise of dresses in bold lines and solid colours - the bright green, red and mustard simply pop, and I must say, they match these Jump From Paper bags. Looking at a glance the first of the pieces look like American footballers' body gear, but in a good way, of course... 

KLFW 2014: Mimpi Kita, WANPA, Rico Rinaldi

Experiencing KLFW 2014 has taught me to appreciate local designers more. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't want to but previously there's not much platform to showcase the talents online, at least. And given my current profession which puts me in a situation where I appreciate fashion shows on the Net easier rather than in-person, therefore it's hard to really judge something, when all I read is some paltry mini-articles on local fashion newspapers highlighting certain designer, or worse, a gossip-cum-celebrity-worshipping-tool kind of publication. That just doesn't really give all these hardworking creative people justice. So it's good to finally see designer after designer passing the KLFW short runway, and in effect, create awareness to an untrained eye / outsider like yours truly. Attending KLFW this year alone has made me Google more KL designers and in turn follow them on Dunia Fashyon Instagram.

KLFW 2014 - Jasmi Rejab, Justin Yap, Max Mak

It's the weekend and finally I have time to resume to play pretend as a fashion journalist (btw, congrats Suzy Menkes for the Conde Nast appointment). As KLFW line-up is a huge list of designers compacted into segments of shows, I feel the need to break day five of KLFW into a few posts and briefly voice out my personal comments. They don't necessarily need to be valid though (we all know too well that I'm not well versed with most of the designers' work, let alone their credibility/authenticity/aesthetics). Nevertheless I did enjoy most of the shows (thanks to the better sitting and therefore better images with the aid of my portrait lens - I forgot to change the lens during the day one show, d'oh!). Atmosphere-wise, the sense of camaraderie was high (designers supporting fellow colleagues in terms of attendance), and it' was good to see the wide mix of attendees with different styles, the occasional pop of fresh ideas and speaking as an industry outsider, the voyeuristic experience peeking into the lives of the creative lot...