Fashion design graduates from ESMOD KL wow at The Collab – a pop-up store at the Four Seasons Shoppes, Ampang. A multi-label boutique that features pieces from talented local designers, The Collab offers 16 brands of ready-to-wear, footwear, bags, accessories and perfume, for men and women. 7 ESMOD-ians were selected by seasoned industry expert Richard Tsen to showcase their talents and skills on this platform.
With 20 years’ experience in retail, design and consultancy work in Singapore and Malaysia as well as imparting fashion knowledge and education at ESMOD KL, Richard Tsen is the right person to bring this idea to life. “I came up with the idea of The Collab in mid-2020. The golden opportunity came when Shoppes at Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur approached me directly asking me whether I could occupy the retail space after megastor Robinsons shuttered due to Covid-19 pressures”, he said.
Prior to embarking on this initiative, he was approached by many budding fashion brands and designers who were requesting his assistance to find distributors. The Collab initiative was the perfect solution to their situation!
A total of 16 brands are exhibiting at The Collab, namely Andy Sulaiman, Project1826, Yacutha, Eliot Malaysia, Sir by Jason, Orga, MZZH, Furry Macaroni, Eric Choong, and the seven chosen ESMOD alumni: Vibrate, The Woman of Yee, HomunHooi, WOO MOH, LHY, LIREN, and scotty.
The Collab – a pop-up store at the Four Seasons Shoppes, Ampang.
Each of these designer’s brand is an embodiment of their creativity and flair. ‘Vibrate’ by Joanne See is a high-end streetwear brand full of reflective design, colourful fabric and innovative printing. Liren Ho’s ‘LIREN’ collection consists of pieces that are perfect for semi-formal evening events and social activities after work.
The brand ‘HomunHooi’ seeks to bring out the femininity of a woman and make her stand out from the rest in this collection with casual evening pieces whereas Liew Hui Ying’s brand ‘LHY’ approaches fashion in an unpredictable manner with different ready-to-wear pieces that are full of surprises.
Scott Tian’s collection ‘scotty.’ creates pieces that are truly unique and fun. The Woman of Yee, the brainchild of Tan Wan Yee consist of pieces that fuse the Malaysian culture with western outfits, producing apparel that are full of elegance and grandeur. Last but not least is the brand WOO MOH by Woo Jun Le which offers comfortable, high quality and stylish designs to help people find their own personal style.
No matter the item, each designer here is committed to his or her creative identity producing quality products that would excite even the most jaded consumer!
Aiming to ensure newness and freshness in fashion happens at The Collab frequently, each of the 16 designers will be releasing new designs every single month. This allows it to be much more than just a shopping haven, it also doubles up as an excellent platform for the designers to step up their and step into the world of retail.
Aside from this, there will also be different themes and activities such as talks, artist collaborations and colour themes every month to give an exciting shopping experience to the consumer.
When asked about the future of the initiative, Tsen envision The Collab to have a different identity in different locations. “We aim to have one Collab Store, or at least pop-up Collab stores in places like Ipoh, Penang and Malacca, each offering products that are suitable for each location in terms of design and price point” he stated.
Truly an exciting initiative, best of luck to all designers partaking and do head on over to The Collab at Four Season Shoppes to get your fix of fashion soon!
The One Academy is committed to providing the best art education programmes and continues to nurture its students passionately through its ‘Masters Train Masters’ coaching philosophy, which has been practised for over 30 years, by providing diploma and degree courses namely Advertising & Graphic Design, Digital Animation, Digital Media Design, Film Visual Effects, Interior Architecture & Design, Illustration, Fine Arts and Paris Fashion Design & Pattern Making. For more information on The One Academy, visit www.toa.edu.my or call (+603) 7875 5510 or e-mail your enquiries to [email protected].
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