Malaysia Fashion Week 2014: The highlights – Part 1
updated the 7 June 2016 à 09:49
From Vietnam to Thailand and Taiwan, here are the first top 5 designers who caught our attention at Malaysia Fashion Week.
Just a hop and a skip away from Singapore, we landed up in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for fashion week from 20 – 22 October 2014. Boasting of both modern, innovative designers from Malaysia and across the region in Asia – Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore – as well as traditional wear, the week was brimming with talented participants and equally revved up fashion week goers.
As the 65-odd shows came to a resounding close, we sussed out the creme of the crop that stood out on the runways at Malaysia Fashion Week – these are definitely the names that you want to etch into your minds.
Chun Ting Liu – Taiwan 
With a strong background in film, the Taiwanese designer himself displays a strong suit for aesthetics and essentially crafted a collection that poetically moves in cohesion as do the scenes in a film. Based on Chun Ting Liu’s knack for conjuring silhouettes that are a juxtaposition of boxy menswear, with womenswear in its most elegant forms, he deftly ensured that each look is on every counts flattering as it is contemporary.
In a calming medley of black and white shades and subtle injections of pastels – mint and lilacs – the collection featured laser cut floral prints, sheer textures and geometric weave prints. However, ultimately the assortment of squarish outerwear reigned supreme.
Man Chien – Malaysia 
When Angelina Jolie married Brad Pitt, she had her wedding gown scrawled all over with drawings from each one of her 6 children. Some thought she was downright crazy to have ruined her dress while others applauded her for creating such an emotional moment with an outfit.
In a similar vein, Man Chien sent out a collection that had multiple pieces beautifully – or not- scribbled with doodles and scraggly lines. Sure, we typically can’t exactly envision allowing a 4 year-old have a go at our wardrobe with crayon but the Malaysian designer sure did a good job of swaying our opinions in a whole other direction.
The bold masterpieces were prominently seen on blazers, maxi dresses, boxy shorts, skirts, cigarette pants and on a denim patchwork dress. As much as the drawings created a brilliant, quirky vibe, there was also a subtle mysterious note to the collection as it brought to mind movies where children would draw to reflect their nightmare-ish dreams.
However, with that notion aside, we definitely welcomed the refreshing and clever take on experimental prints.
Joe Chia – Malaysia
With a rather Rei Kawakubo-esque design element, Joe Chia delivered a whole range of monochrome, loose-fitting silhouettes that flitted with every step on the runway. The models strode down in military high cut boots and black head wraps with their hair neatly tucked into ponytails, as though they were on a mission to deliver a message – a timeless message through clothes that is. The pieces embodied an experimental flair in terms of form and function while stayed true to his clean, uncluttered aesthetic.
Keeping to the bare minimal, the Malaysian designer essentially portrayed how apparel need not be unnecessarily laden with details to create an impact on the runway. And if you do personally prefer to dress up your outfit, we can imagine accessorising various looks in this collection for they create the perfect canvas to experiment with. Just think of how metal armour jewellery would pair with the long high-neck dress – sublime.
Phuong My – Vietnam 
Perceived as one of the rising stars in Vietnam, the young designer, Phuong My, sure knew a thing or two about playing with textures, fabrics and silhouettes. Since the label seeks to deliver something different for each collection, whether it’s a new fabric, print or aesthetic, every season is bound to be filled with surprises aplenty.
For their Autumn Winter 2014 collection, the focus resolutely stayed on outerwear that came in more bold, vivid shades of ruby, orange and colbalt blues, coupled with distinct menswear inclinations by way of strong, oversized shoulders. It was apparent that the 26 year-old is a design force to be reckoned with especially when the impeccable construction could be marveled at from our seats. Rather than melding typical silhouettes of menswear and womenswear, she ultimately manages to effortlessly marry the fragility of womenswear with the tenacity of menswear into a cohesive, wearable look that could last throughout time.
Vinn Patararin – Thailand
From the first model’s entrance, it was evident that the Thailand label, Vinn Patararin holds technique and textile as their strongest suit. Throughout the collection, a mesh-like laser-cut fabric dominated the varied looks. Whether as sleeves, panels on trousers or simply as an overlay on tops and dresses, the design element gave off a slight mechanical sensibility.
Coming in shades of blue and pink/ reds, topped off with metallic greys, the pieces in their high waist and cropped top combinations were also reminiscent of the 60s style – something that January Jones in Mad Men would definitely flaunt without fault.
Tarandip Kaur
