Fresh Labels 2008 - An Overdue Review

Thanks to Jiok Brian for the photo :)

Fresh Labels 2008 is another fashion show project that is held annually by SIFE Nottingham and this year, SIFE MMU contributed several independent designers in conjunction with their Art Market Project which is going to take place this April 1st until 3rd. So, if you happen to be around Cyberjaya on that day, please make a point to come and visit our humble booth :).

On the day Fresh Labels took place, I arrived at 7.30pm as stated in the promotional flyer and came looking for Zul of PopMalaya with his fiance of whom arrived earlier. Zul clad in My Indie Rock Darling t-shirt covered with knitted plaid cardigan and Dila in her pre-90's artist's vest attire paired with jeans were dressed seemingly oblivious to the glamor of the event. I, normally prepared with every possible expectations of the event, applied very little make-up, eyes highlighted with metallic and black eye shadows completed with my M.A.C. nude colored lipstick - yeah the color is a bit passe for this Spring season but whatever ha! I wore my latest design, a crossover of kimono top, only tighter with my men trousers that I had it tailored when I was in Phuket. It is actually my favorite piece of the wardrobe.

Anyways, after we've found each other and exchanged casual remarks, we decided not to wait for the rest of the crowd to arrive and proceeded to the queue aisle. We didn't know what to do as we're not used to get invitations to this kind of event so I just came up to the lady at the ticketing counter and told her we're in the list. Haha OMG I just said that! I felt trendy upon chanting the phrase "We're in the list." hahaha! This may sound absurd but yeah coming from the underground background, this situation can rarely be encountered unless we're party regulars :P. So yeah, next, this cute guy introduced himself as Chris gave us VIP tags (another reason to be OMG-ed) and ushered us to the VIP seats beside the stage. Check this out, we did have our own place to hang! Hahahah!

We weren't expecting much as we've never been to any fashion show except the ones that we organized for the independent clothing labels but the VIP treatment made us feel good around that place. The VIP wasn't a big deal, really. It's just another fanciful experience, so why not enjoy it? :D. The event started with the DJ playing some cool house numbers with the likes of Moby remixed and stuffs in contrary with trance and overrated hip-hop.

There were eight labels featured in the fashion show which comprises of PopRina, Sixpenze, MooMoo, PopMalaya, Sevendays, Dotiro, PurpleDotz and Tres Chic. PopRina was second in line followed by PopMalaya. Before my line's turn, I've got the chance to peek into the changing room for the need to accessorize the models with my Batik Hanky so as to add some personal touch to their styling. The room was very busy what with models changing their next attires, people busy searching for stuffs, people in between of makeup touch-ups. So yeah things were getting exciting and I was loving the adrenalines and movements that filled the room. In the midst of the hustles and bustles, the project leader introduced herself to me and apparently she was one of the models on the catwalk! How cool is that! People like her empowers fashion like Yves Saint Laurent did in his earlier career stage. We chatted a bit, not really a meaningful one but yeah I would love to talk to her some other time :).

The models looked good in my clothings! I will attach the images as soon as I get them from the photographers. I even got to come up to the runway escorted by two models sporting my attire and bowed like real designers do! :D:D:D. Abundance flashlights coming from the photographers had really made me feel glamorous on the stage which is good as I am all the way for glamrock. By the way, are those related? Haha. When it was Zul's turn to bow he was all smiled and looked proudly at his fiance, upon escorted with the models hahahahh!! He even stayed longer than he should on the stage! "I was waiting for the photographers to finish taking up my picture", he claimed. *Rolls eyes..*

Zul and Dila went home after the first half while I stayed until the show ends. Savoring the moments, enjoying the good music eventhough my hearing was almost impaired due to very close proximity to the speaker, observing the fine details of other designers work were all that could inspire and make my day. All in all, the event was superb and again, I can't wait to get a view of all the pictures taken during the event. Oh on another note, an acquaintance (I am hesitant to call her a fan because we're acquainted? :P) even came upon noting PopRina on the list of the runway :P. I was so touched by her presence and many many thanks to her for making an appearance! Thanks so much dear!

I've always wanted a fashion show with an electro runway tracks and I got it right there! Hoping to get acts like Goodnight Electric and the likes from their motherland to feature in my fashion show in the future. I enjoyed the music (again), the proper systematic way of them organizing it, the models, the venue, the stage, the crowd, the photographer, everything! I am thanking SIFE for inviting us to participate in the fashion show. Hopefully we can collaborate again in the future. Danke peeps! :)

I Want My Pop! - An article by Junk Magazine

Source from - http://www.junkonline.net/node/747


I Want My Pop!

It’s a wonder how a chat between two friends can result in one of the most successful independent brands in Malaysia. It was in late 2005, friends Zul and Ijam were sitting down, talking about how they were fed up with their jobs, and wanted to do something different. Since both were interested in design, they decided to start a T-Shirt label, Pop Malaya, which is one of Malaysia’s pioneer independent T-Shirt brands,

Mention the word ‘pop’ and images of popular culture comes to mind. That’s the gist of what Pop Malaya is all about, merging old Malaysian images with up-to-date, kitsch designs. Wanting to localise their brand, Zul and Ijam decided to have a Malaysian name instead of a foreign sounding one. Zul says, “The name of the brand was Ijam’s idea. We were brainstorming and watched this M. Nasir film, Kembara Seniman Jalanan. It was a movie about Malaysian pop culture in the 80’s and we took inspiration from it. In it, M. Nasir portrayed a hippie wearing a headband and all that, and we thought, ‘Hey, there are hippies in Malaysia.’ So we decided to play with the carefree attitude that Malaysians have and created a label out of it.”

Pop Malaya’s designs takes familiar, traditional Malaysian images and injects some pop in it for a local appeal. So, you’d get the instantly recognizable image of theatre veteran P. Ramlee with a colorful background, T-Shirts with sardine cans ala Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup Cans, and designs that draw inspiration from the Malaysian national flower, the bunga raya (hibiscus). “These designs are old school retro, yet represents pop art as well,” Zul says.

It’s not unusual to see these T-Shirts don the bodies of KL-ites on a day out, but it was Pop Malaya’s very first design that got the brand noticed, and it is a design that still gets noticed today. The image of a girl’s face sits on a corner of the tee, with the words, “pop Malaya” in Jawi across it; is instantly recognizable as a Pop Malaya tee. This design was a hit when it made its debut in gigs and bazaars around KL, and also in a quaint little boutique in the Klang Valley called Wondermilk. It spoke for the brand’s zeal to take the traditional and make it more up-to-date and relevant in today’s society.

It also helped that Pop Malaya was creative in its marketing methods. The label roped in Malaysian band Free Love as its ambassador .“All I did was ask Mohd Jayzuan (of Free Love) if the band was willing to wear our T-Shirts when they are on stage to help us promote it, and he said ok. Since then, I’ve given shirts to bands Elisabelle Tears, Sgt, Weener’s Arms and KLPHQ.” And it worked. Bands wearing these shirts got everyone talking, and people started taking notice of the brand. Interestingly, Pop Malaya has also sparked off new indie brands like EVOL (brainchild of Free Love).

These days, word-of-mouth has helped Pop Malaya reach out to markets outside of Kuala Lumpur. Pop Malaya T-Shirts are now available in Johor, Jitra, and Kota Bahru.The story of how it all started captures the DIY spirit of the brand. “We had customers from outside of KL coming to buy our T-Shirts in bulk to re-sell it. And we thought, why not just make them agents so that they’ll get a commission?” Pop Malaya’s T-Shirts are affordable at RM30 each if they are purchased directly at gigs and bazaars.

Today, the brand has expanded to include another six partners: GG, Arif, Adam, War, Hasa and Fesal. While Pop Malaya is actively coming up with new, funky designs to keep up with market demands (new designs are created to coincide with Pop Malaya‘s participation in new fashion + gig events), it wants to rely on its core designs to make a further impact to the market. “We feel that our core designs are strong enough to speak for themselves and are eye catching.” Zul says.

With Pop Malaya on steady ground, plans for its sister brand, Pop Rina, came to birth a year after Pop Malaya lifted off. Three people - Ell, Keri and Olen - are responsible for the girl’s clothing line which comprises of pretty tops and dresses. Of the origins of the brand name, Ell says, “The word ‘pop’ stuck because we wanted Pop Rina to be associated with Pop Malaya, As for Rina, it is a vintage name, and it’s universal. No matter what heritage you are, people recognise it as a girl’s name.”

Like Pop Malaya, Pop Rina infuses traditional Malaysian elements into modern designs. Taking inspiration from fashion from the 70’s, the tops and dresses have simple, clean lines with bursts of bright colours. Dresses have batik prints on them, and tops have minor details carefully hand sewn unto them. Each piece design usually starts off with fabric shopping where the designers will pick out interesting fabrics and thoughts on what they can do with it, before the actual sketching begins. An average of one collection which comprises 3 to 4 designs makes it way to the market every two months. Prices are also reasonable, with clothes priced at RM25 - RM40, while special, limited edition apparels are priced from RM50 onwards.

Noneof the people behind Pop Rina has any prior experience in designing. For Ell, an interest in graphic design very much sealed her designation as one of Pop Rina’s creators. “I also have an interest in garments, since my grandmother and mother were tailors. My grandma was the fashion designer in my kampung. So I got my flair from them, and started sewing baju kurungs for my sister’s Barbie dolls when I was a kid,” Ell laughs.

For now, both brands are looking to gain more exposure in wider markets and possibly overseas. Plans to open up a retail store are in line, and right now, both labels are just concentrating on getting their capital for the store to happen.

Pop Malaya and Pop Rina have also recently have their clothes featured in an independent film directed by Razaisyam Rashid, titled Konsekuensi. Besides that, both brands, along with 16 other local brands have formed Angkatan Baju Malaya, a T-Shirt collective that will tour the country with gig performances and fashion booths starting 5 April in Kuala Lumpur. The Angkatan Baju Malaya tour will take them to Johor Bahru, Jitra, Ipoh and Terengganu. While the collective is currently looking for sponsorship to subsidise the tour, all of the brands are willing to go DIY, pool together and contribute to the tour, if that’s what they must do to make the tour happen.

Both brands have come a long way to establish themselves as one of Malaysia’s more successful independent brands. Ell exclaims, “We’re all doing this is a part-time hobby. I can’t wait for the day when we can consider our current jobs as our part time jobs!” She and the rest might not have to wait that long. With their creativity, vision and hard work, it won’t be surprising that they become a brand that Malaysia can be proud of.



Pop Malaya is available at Dolls Store, Super Sunday, Push & Skate and Deft at The Summit. Visit www.myspace.com/popmalaya

Pop Rina is available at Super Sunday and OSixNine in Subang Jaya. Visit www.myspace.com/_poprina

For more info about the Angkatan Baju Malaya Tour, visit www.myspace.com/angkatanbajumalaya



Words Jolyn Photo Shermen

How to become a successful fashion entrepreneur

I was browsing through a supposedly fashion magazine online profile. I was like really looking into the profile for it being unsophisticated and disorganized in contents placement. All the fonts are not properly sized and aligned, well in short was indeed unfashionable. And then, there was this section that captured my attention. It asked, "What does it take to be a fashion entrepreneur?". Yeah I would naturally be, as I am juggling my mind and soul to be one :D. The answer did look a bit emotionally written (or typed, technically) as it looked exactly like this:

"HARD WORK. DEDICATION. EATING, BREATHING AND LIVING YOUR DREAMS, EVERY DAY. BEING RESOURCEFUL. TAKING RISKS WHEN OTHERS WONT. NETWORKING. RESEARCHING. BEING FOCUSED. BEING PERSISTENT. FORESIGHT. NEVER SURRENDERING. BEING FEARLESS. BEING A LEADER. INSPIRING YOURSELF. UNITING AND INSPIRING PEOPLE WHOM YOU MAY NEVER SEE OR KNOW. EVERY DAY.
"

See? Simple as that. The fact that it is all typed in capital letters makes the expression a bit more heart-stirring, you know it's as if the guy was shouting "OK COME ON GUYS, LETS DO THIS BECAUSE WE ROCK!". To whomever that wrote it, I feel you man.. I feel you! He surely is as fashionable in everything he does as he can very well dress his words with that kind of simplicity!

I like that he insisted to do all these inspirational stuff every day by stating "Every day" twice. I mean it might sound stupid but a constant reminder of everything is what we humans need, don't we? Every day, haha!

And the coolest part is, this piece of advice (to me at least) applies to everything that we do everyday. To put extraordinary effort and dedication in what we do everyday from the moment you wake up in the morning, on how you pick your garments for the day, on your decisions of what to eat, on how would you communicate with people surrounding you everyday until you get home and ready to bed feeling good because you know you have done your best in everything you did that day. What awesomeness this is, isn't it?

So yeah folks, lets strive to be better beings to the people surrounding us that we love and stay focused on what we wanted to achieve, EVERY DAY. I've personally put the quote on my GoogleTalk custom message because I wanted to be reminded to make a change, EVERY DAY!