Malaysia Fashion Week 2014: Highlights from accessory labels

Moving along the days at Malaysia Fashion Week 2014, while most of the designers focused on womenswear apparel, a handful on display were solely accessory labels.

As much as we love shoes, it’s safe to say that after fashion week in Kuala Lumpur, we’re now gunning to get our hands on these masterpieces that we can nimbly cradle in our arms at the next cocktail party. From Malaysia, to Taiwan and Korea, here are 3 brands who are doing all sorts of right with their bag designs.

Illiza Ho – Taiwan

If the name Illiza Ho has yet to cause a small bell to go off in your minds then let us just say that the Taiwanese designer has been on Jimmy Choo‘s team as an Assistant Accessories Designer. And many others would term her as Jimmy Choo’s proud protégé and rightly so.

Her entire design aesthetic relies on architectural forms and lines from which she draws inspiration that eventually translate into collector-worthy art pieces. As for her current collection that is based around the theme of exploration, the conceptual pieces are also multifunctional to boot – where sling bags can be converted into clutches or tote bags into backpacks.

Most of the shoulder bags were hung from cords and some of the clutches appeared to possess a slight raw and industrial element at the stitching, which were beautifully offset by the relatively bright, chirpy colour scheme.

Lapalette – Korea

Known to be a favourite amongst Korean pop stars and celebrities, the quirky and yet contemporary bag label did not fail to impress. The first series of bags that went down the runway featured the signature horse logo as well as kooky-looking deers and mechanical cars that were personified with eyes as the collection’s prominent motifs. All of which were coupled with bold shades of cobalt blue and vibrant orange.

Apparently the myriad of motifs that appear on Lapalette’s bags are inspired by vintage dolls, musical instruments or hand-crafted ornaments that are then re-interpreted with a peculiar twist.

After the selection of whimsical designs, a contemporary collection of cubic silhouettes graced the hands of models. Each were in classic neutral shades that simply exuded sheer sophistication. We could definitely imagine snagging one of the Lapalette bags to bring to the office.

Sakura – Malaysia

On the other end of the spectrum, beyond idiosyncratic or conceptual designs, we were as mesmerized by Malaysian label, Sakura’s collection of elegant, monochrome bags that included clutches, sling bags and even a backpack for the men.

The range, boldly emblazoned with a motley of gold or grey insignias, carried a semblance of mystery reminiscent of film noir. What intrigued us was how the velveted bags only required one emblem and some tassel details to become striking statement pieces on the runway. Essentially, we envision the collection as quite the classic lineup, yearning to be passed through multiple hands in a family.

Tarandip Kaur

Read more on Malaysia Fashion Week 2014:

Malaysia Fashion Week 2014: The highlights – Part 1
Malaysia Fashion Week 2014: The highlights – Part 2