Asia's fashion industry need not have a four season collection

Ready-to-wear or prêt-a-porter, high street, haute-couture, are some of the fashion terms brandied around by all walks of life in this country especially with the emergence of numerous fashion weeks.

While we adopt and carry out the four season trends of fashion from the European continent, spilling the creativity and designs of Paris, London and Milan on to our tropical streets of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Telawi, little do we realise that it is more than just the ability to stay parallel and ahead of fashion trends. It is about wear-ability, functionality and comfort for the wearer.

Realising the importance and the balance of marketability and demographics in this country, Tradisi Busana PR, a local fashion agency that offers public relations services for the fashion industry and creates immaculate and fresh productions for fashion shows, has come together with AEON to produce a unique fashion week that caters to the needs and wants of Malaysians and other Muslim countries.

Dodi Mohasdi Haji Mohammad, the brain behind the Kuala Lumpur Raya Fashion Week, who has served many years in London and played consultant to high-end fashion labels like Jimmy Choo and La Perla, said that it is now time that Malaysia regulates the ‘relevant’ fashion season for our people instead of looking outward.

"We came up with the concept because we feel that this is the most relevant season for our designers. Malaysian designers might have Raya collections but not all of them have autumn/winter spring/summer collections," he said.

Dodi is also very positive and has strong faith that this concept will gain acceptance throughout the region and the globe.

"The thing is my many years in London, and I am exploring Tokyo, I have seen how things work and I always believe in looking inward than rather outward. So we have to look at what we have in Malaysia and harness it and make it better. Let’s do Raya, that’s us! And you never know, that we could export it to other countries too," he smiled.

The trade performance for textile in Malaysia has blossomed healthily in the past few years, with the emergence of fashion weeks in the country. Like the fashion scenario in America and even in the European continent, it is clear that Asians are invading not just the runway but the fashion trade as a whole.

According to the Malaysian Textile and Apparel Centre (MATAC), the overall apparel import in the country has decreased from RM274,818.16 in January to RM253,108.41 in March 2014.

This means that the industry is more focused on local and regional production of apparel and it is clearly seen in that autumn/winter apparels like anoraks, overcoats and wind jackets have dropped by 32 per cent over two months from January to March 2014.

Aside from boosting the local fashion industry, it also contributes positively to the growth of the tourism industry

"With many attractive fashion and design, I believe it can attract a lot of visitors in the country, particularly when the design appeals to the international tourist. More and more tourist from the region, based from the media exposure, and also through the internet and online activity, I think we received a lot of tourist coming here for the fashion," said Ramzi Abu Yazid, Tourism Malaysia's head of secretariat shopping.

For retail giants AEON, this concept of fashion week brings a lot of goodness to the company in promoting good value for money.

"We want the public to know that our collection is very affordable, very good quality, and it is a whole range suitable for the whole family. So we want people to know that AEON offers quality product with value for money," said Nor Laila Mohd Samin, AEON's senior manager of corporation, communication & branding.

For Datuk Radzuwan Radziwill, a face and name that is no stranger to the industry, he too has embarked on the prêt-a-porter wagon to stay in the game.

“We collaborated with them (AEON) last year and the collection was very contemporary. So I'm lucky this year they asked me again. Actually it’s a bit tough because the price is really low; about RM200 to RM250. So you have to be really smart to do it. Our fabric has to be good, workmanship has to be good, the trimmings, and we need a really good factory. And as always, a good factory, the price is a bit expensive," he lamented.

Like Radzuwan, the KL Raya Fashion Week is a blessing for local designers to showcase their most relevant collections that are based on festivities rather than conforming to the four seasons fashion outlook.

“For Asia, we follow the festivals, like Hari Raya, Christmas and Deepavali... it is considered as new collections. We are not good at producing autumn/winter collections. So for Asia, we really follow the festive seasons," he added.

For others, like Bon Zainal, the shift in fashion trends, from the typical four seasons to Asia's all year round fashion season, proves that Malaysia is now standing in the eyes of the fashion world.

"First and foremost, our workmanship is superb. We are good with our details and all that, especially Datuk Radzuwan Radziwill... For us it is always easy because we go for all seasons, we don’t go for spring/summer and all that," he said.

So it doesn’t really matter if you think fashion is fluff or a way of life. What is most vital is upholding the culture of the nation and embedding it into the fashion world.