7 M’sian Designers With Stunning, Affordable Pieces For You To Dress Beautifully
Here are some local sustainable fashion designers who could really use your support.
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If you’ve ever felt the urge to dress beautifully – as Malaysians always do – why not adorn yourself with pieces made by some of the best local designers?
By supporting these talented Malaysians, you’ll get gorgeous unique pieces and bring some character to the commercial world.
So, here are some local designers that proudly feature beautiful Malaysian heritage in their work.
1. Whimsigirl
Just like girls, each design is unique in personality and differences. Yet despite their differences, they all share some common qualities, they’re all graceful, pretty yet strong, comfortable and most importantly, free to be whoever and whatever they want to be.
Whimsigirl
Focusing on the “everyday girl”, Whimsigirl seeks to create comfortable inclusive fashion for women of all sizes and backgrounds.
The company was founded by Syazana Sukiman, an architecture graduate who aspired to make an alternative, independent clothing brand supporting both children, and adults.
2. KANOE
Child of the tropics. She journeys across borders, dancing to the rhythm of her heartbeat. Each piece has a heart and soul. Created in our studio based in the urban tropics of Kuala Lumpur. Ethical. Sustainable. Full of Love. We source our textiles from across the globe to only bring you the very best.
KANOE
KANOE’s heart and aim is to promote mindful living through their designs and production processes. They create beautiful garments made from natural fibre through collaborations with local businesses, artisans, and communities in need, while providing a healthy work environment and fair wage.
KANOE was founded by Noelle Kan, who has a postgraduate degree in Fashion as Art from a university in Florence, Italy. Upon completing her studies, Noelle spent several years helping underprivileged communities before launching her sustainable fashion label.
3. MaryamBayam
Each piece is meticulously designed to outlast fast fashion trends and change the way we spend. A big part of what we do is finding new purpose for scrap fabrics, while constantly working on improving our supply chains. We believe these steps will help reduce our impact on the environment, increase social responsibility and encourage more of you to embrace the slow fashion movement.
MaryamBayam
MaryamBayam was created to preserve the culture of traditional batik through contemporary designs. They do this by working with local artisans to highlight their unique skills.
The company was founded by Maryam Mutalib, a culinary graduate with a passion for handmade accessories. She values batik as a Malaysian heritage and aims to connect people through the historical craft that is an integral part of Malaysian culture.
4. ALAM DAN MANUSIA
We constantly evolve to better meet our customers’ needs — through innovative and inspiring design; through convenient and engaging lifestyle experiences; and simply by communicating with people to understand how they live, work and play and how we can fit in.
ALAM DAN MANUSIA
Translated as “nature and mankind” in Malay, ALAM DAN MANUSIA is inspired by nature’s fluidity and ease. The company approaches the concept of fashion and style with purity and simplicity to create pieces that are easy and laid-back.
Founded in 2017, this Malaysian independent clothing brand uses long-lasting natural fabrics to create essential pieces which can become a workhorse for your wardrobe. Expect to find loose silhouettes in earthy tones enriched with touches of bold prints.
5. Seleksi Akma
This brand is now providing a variety of selections for modern fashion to be a trendsetter that fulfils your needs. Previously this brand is well-known for carrying exclusive traditional clothing which best suited with their previous tagline “Keunggulan Tradisi”.
Seleksi Akma
Previously championing traditional wear, Seleksi Akma has grown to include more contemporary pieces in their arsenal of designs. Their vision is simple: creating fashionable, high-quality pieces for women, at a price that won’t hurt your wallet.
This established company has been around since 1990. With years of experience, Seleksi Akma has managed to remain relevant throughout changing times using high-quality fabric.
6. The Rumah Gareh Pua Project
Although the women are skilful weavers and producing unique and beautiful textile, they have no access to a proper market platform. Thus, the weavers have been weaving for middle parties who commercialised their Pua Kumbu with profitable returns but the weavers are receiving only minimal compensations to their hard labour, valuable knowledge and skill.
The Rumah Gareh Pua Project
The Rumah Gareh Pua Project intends to create employment opportunities for rural Iban communities. It aims to bring the centuries old knowledge and skill of traditional weaving by the Iban women living in Rumah Gare, in Sungai Kain, Kapit, Sarawak to a level that can sustain their living and keep the culture alive.
The person behind this project is Welyne Jeffrey Jehom, a social anthropologist and senior lecturer at University Malaya from Kuching, Sarawak. She started the endeavour as a research project in 2013.
7. Penan Women Project
The Penans are one of the indigenous tribes of Borneo. They are believed to be the last nomadic hunter-gatherers in Malaysia, calling the rainforest their home.
Penan Women Project
Focusing on helping women of the Penan tribe to earn regular income from handcrafting bags, the Penan Women Project also aims to ensure the continuity of the tribe’s heritage. Penan women are expert weavers with the ability to make intricate patterns and high-quality products.
The Penan Women Project was initiated by the Miri Women Weaving Association, officially registered in 2016 to help underprivileged, nomadic and semi-nomadic Penans in Sarawak.
This project buys bags from Penan women and helps market them in community fairs, bazaars, and sales days in several states across Malaysia. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these handcrafted bags are then channelled back to the Penan community.
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