KL Fashion Week returns for 11th year, introduces new format of seven venues
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — To celebrate its 11th year, Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week (KLFW) 2023 is doing it differently with seven venues for each day of the week.
A total of 50 designers and brands are set to debut their ready-to-wear collections at seven different locations from August 21 to 27.
It sounds hectic but KLFW founder Andrew Tan has never been one to back down from a challenge and besides, it’s common practice overseas.
“In every fashion capital of the world, fashion week is where the city is truly celebrated,” he said.
“So this year, we will go to different venues and celebrate the city. Next year, it will be something else.”
A video presentation of the seven venues — Sofitel Kuala Lumpur Damansara, Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur, Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Naza Tower Platinum Park, Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral, Boathouse and InterContinental Kuala Lumpur — were shown at its media launch yesterday.
Hosted by TV personality Dino Omar, the event kicked off to the hypnotic beats of a seven-member drumline from Aswara National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage.
Tan giving his speech (left) and Dino as the event host. — Picture courtesy of KLFW 2023
There was also a fashion show with models wearing black tees emblazoned with messages by Watsons, which is doing hair and makeup for KLFW 2023.
This year’s sponsors are AmBank Group, L’Oréal, NX Holdings Berhad, MOCCONA, Watsons, Colgate with collaborator Samsung as well as partners AirAsia, AirAsia Academy, AirAsia Ride, Santan, GHD, Steve Madden, Laurastar, Isetan Kuala Lumpur and Vida.
While there’s more than one fashion week in KL, Tan pointed out that this is the one and only legit platform, which has been his life’s work for the past ten years.
In keeping with its key objectives, KLFW promotes the industry as a whole as guests often include fashion buyers, stylists and celebrities who are instrumental in advertising as well as designers’ clientele who order and purchase pieces off the runway.
“It’s not just about the glitz and glam of the week, we’re also about the business, encouraging serious dialogue on fashion,” said Tan.
“We’ve got three young designers showing their collections which you can buy only at Isetan. I think I’m the real deal, what I do and what I’ve been doing.”
Contest winners of Samsung’s KL10 Designer Search 2022, Julia Wey, Uzair Shoid and Lurazah’s Raunna will get their own special slot Design To Sustain this year.
Another new segment Asia Fashion Xchange will debut with Indonesian brand Buttonscarves.
Seven new designers and labels will be making their appearance this year with Fairuz Ramdan, Andy Sulaiman, Ezzati Amira, ZaimiZulkafli and Supercrew returning after a brief hiatus.
The KLFW 2023 opening show will showcase eight featured designers from the Malaysian Official Designers’ Association in celebration of KLFW’s support for the organisation and their new chapter.
Also making a comeback this year is Fashion Connect.23, a full day networking and educational event designed to improve the supply chain of the fashion industry and the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Awards (KLFA).
Last year’s KLFW at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur was marred by an incident that saw model Alicia Amin staging a single-woman protest over delayed model payments. Asked about this matter, Tan said: “I don’t want to talk about it at all.”
What else is different this year? “I cannot tell you the difference, I’m always excited to see what inspires the designers to create their collections,” he said.
“The platform is there for them but what they’re going to show is what is going to excite the customers and the whole industry.”
