Against all odds, these uprising local fashion brands remain on track and we are giving them the spotlight they deserve.

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EVAN YAP OF WEARMASQUAD,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/wearmasquad/">@wearmasquad</a>

Tell us about yourself and WEARMASQUAD &ndash; and how would you describe your design?

I&rsquo;m a student, a fashion blogger and a freelance fashion stylist. I became interested in designing jewellery and accessories since I was 14 years old. There&rsquo;s always this part of myself that cherishes the beauty of art and I think WEARMASQUAD is an outlet for me to express my creativity. In terms of my design concept, I&rsquo;d say it changes from time to time &ndash; like right now, it&rsquo;s the neo-romanticism style and I&rsquo;m not sure what comes next.

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As a young designer, what is the most difficult part to break into the industry?

Social media has made it wildly accessible for just about anybody to start and own a business. On the flip side, this also makes it difficult because it has become even more competitive. This paradox makes it tough to grow a strong social media reach, particularly with engagement and followers. The way that I overcome this challenge is by giving some of my products to my favourite fashion influencers and have them style and advertise the pieces on their Instagram posts.

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How are you coping with this challenging situation that we&rsquo;re in right now as the result of the COVID-19 crisis?

I think most entrepreneurs including myself right now are dealing with a lot of concerns. So, I say the best thing that we can do at the moment is to prioritise what&rsquo;s important for the growth of the business and stay in the present. I work closely with my team to break down our business plans into smaller churns and try to get them done step by step.

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There is great deal of competition amongst online based jewellery brands. What is your strategy to make sure your brand cuts through all that clutter? 

WEARMASQUAD jewellery have been worn by the likes of many online fashion influencers such as Evonne (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/d8eyes/">@d8eyes</a>), Sushi (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/suhsi.be/">@suhsi.be</a>) and Cheng (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/cyiichengg/">@cyiichengg</a>). I personally choose to collaborate with these people because I think their styles represent the identity of WEARMASQUAD, which is all about making statements, and to me, this approach is very important as it directs our brand to the right target audience.

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What are you fascinated by at the moment &ndash; and how does it feed into your work?

I&rsquo;m very interested in seeing the way people in the Victorian era used to dress and accessorise themselves. It gives me ideas on how they will look like if I add some WEARMASQUAD elements to their wardrobes.

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What can we expect from your upcoming collection?

Something that plays with the concept of Bohemian and Victorian designs.

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Any advice for our readers who are working towards the same dream as yours?

If you are going to take the plunge and start your own business &ndash; warning: it will consume a lot of time, money and energy. And if that is your passion then just go for it because no one ever gets tired of doing something that they love.

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PHOENIX TAN PEK HAN OF PHYN STUDIO (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/phynstudio/">@phynstudio</a>)

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For starters, tell us about yourself and how you got into fashion design.

I was born in Pantai Remis, Perak, a very small town that is not big on fashion. I have a soft spot for arts and handicrafts. When I was in the middle school, I began to see that suitable dressing brings self-confidence, and as I grow older I feel like fashion design is the perfect path for me to be on as there is no limitation on the way I express my thoughts and ideas, except myself.

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What do you think is the most challenging part of your career &ndash; and what is most rewarding?

I believe that the most challenging part for me and my team is to find the balance between our creativity and consumer demand, especially during this uncertain period. We have to cater to what our customers look for but at the same time we also need to adhere to our aesthetic. Having said that, what I think is the most rewarding part of my career is freedom of expression.

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Looking at your previous and current collections, we can say that they are sartorial and edgy. What inspires you &ndash; and how do you translate it into your work?

The collections that I have presented are related to different life elements. My designs are usually influenced by time, people, ambiance and movies that I find interesting. If you take a closer look, you can see that my designs play with different kinds of fabrics, materials, textures and silhouettes. To me these variations represent the emotions and stories that I want translated into my wearable clothing.

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What is your thought on the industry&rsquo;s digital approach? Are you for or against it &ndash; and why?

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I think the pandemic has accelerated the speed of digital development and that is something that we should celebrate. On the other hand, I also feel like this situation happens so quickly that not all of us are ready for the transition. I believe there is more to come in the future but as of now, the world of technology and the situation that we are in have opened new windows in the fashion industry. So, you can say that I am partially in favour of it.

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How has the pandemic influenced your design?

The pandemic has forced us to focus more on producing wardrobes that are timeless in design.

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What has been the one good thing that you noticed from this crisis?

The fact that we&rsquo;re still here and remain strong shows that nothing can bring us down.

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What do you say to those who wish to have their own fashion label?

My advice to young fashion designers is keep exploring, be playful, and dare to be different. Break the boundaries if you have to and have faith in what you are doing.

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NAZIFI NASRI OF NAZIFI NASRI,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/nazifinasri/">@nazifinasri</a>

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For those who are not familiar with Nazifi Nasri, what would you like them to know about the brand? 

Nazifi Nasri is an eponymous brand that was established in 2014. Our specialisation is in producing men&rsquo;s sandals and footwear that are both classy and minimalistic in design with comfortability in mind. Over the time, we have tried to expand our niche little-by-little by introducing a few limited-edition footwear for women as well as unisex accessories that include bags and small leather goods. The idea of the brand is to redefine the classic look without compromising the sensuality of the materials and craftsmanship.

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What is the innovation you bring into the world of footwear design?

We are very specific when it comes to design, which is to stay simple and not being too elaborate, yet powerful enough to amp up any look or style of the wearer.

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For a brand like yours that values design and craft, was it difficult to find the right business partners to make it scalable whilst preserving the quality of your products?

We found it is quite difficult because Nazifi Nasri treasures arts and craftsmanship very much, thus it is vital for our brand to have experts in the shoe and accessory making field. Topping off, our products are very limited and exclusive, and we see that as an opportunity for our production team to really take their time in creating each piece so that the end result is impeccable.

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How are you coping with the changes in designer and consumer behaviour due to the pandemic?

Ours is totally an online driven brand, we sell and market our products almost entirely via our website and social media. So, when this kind of situation came about, we amplify our online marketing campaign by creating contents that are more engaging such as flash sale and teaser for new products. Other than that, we also take customer feedback very seriously so that we can cater to what they are really looking for from our brand.

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How has social media helped you in expanding your brand?

I&rsquo;d say social media has helped us immensely, as it has with the other brands out there. In my opinion, business owners today should not take this &ldquo;free opportunity&rdquo; for granted because this is and has been the best platform for us to flourish our labels and to engage with customers globally.

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What&rsquo;s next for your brand &ndash; and how do you plan to get there?

We are currently working on new cardholder and bag designs. This time around, we&rsquo;re looking at bold and bright colours, something unusual compared to our original colour scheme which are usually dark and mellow. We are also on the verge of introducing new products for women so stay tuned and check out our social media for more details.

SHAO FEN SEAH OF SHAOFEN,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/by_shaofen/">@by_shaofen</a>

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What comes into your mind when you started Shaofen?

Shaofen is a brand with an androgynous aesthetic. The objective is to design clothing for the modern wardrobe with quality and timeless design. The outfits are designed to stay relevant at all time regardless of trends and seasons. It started with the idea of building an ideal closet with clothes that I personally will wear and want to be comfortable in.

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What makes Shaofen different from other ready-to-wear brands?

I try to incorporate modern twists to traditional silhouettes. Therefore, you will find that most of my designs are unique in their own way and wearable at the same time.

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What kind of person owns Shaofen?

Ideally someone with great interest with everything under the roof of art and design. Also, someone that values details and craftsmanship.

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How is your brand coping with the world&rsquo;s current concern?

At our design house, we have made some changes to our collection release date and we try to slow down on our production. We also want to be extra conscious with our products that they shall be practical and appropriate to be worn for any occasions.

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What does sustainability look like for your brand?

Our studio operates with a CMT (cut-make-trim) system where majority of pieces are made-to-order to prevent overproduction nor create unnecessary waste.

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What is your take on fashion&rsquo;s digital approach?

It is a great approach, but I am not in favour completely of this medium yet. I feel like there is a lack of sensuality to it. I believe that there will be other better ways of doing this and I am really looking forward to it.

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How has social media contributed to your brand?

Social media has been a truly important platform for me as it allows my brand to be exposed to the entire world. It allows my products to be articulated across the web and connected with Shaofen&rsquo;s followers, potential buyers even collaborators. Things get more exciting when they are unpredictable &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s an opportunity or a challenge, you just have to keep soaring upwards.

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What do you think the upcoming fashion trends are going to look like?

I can say that technology has pretty much dominated the world of fashion. In the future, we can find more quality garments being produced by machines with more sensible designs making their ways into the industry.

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Any advice for budding fashion designers out there?

Practice makes perfect, and understanding your subject is equally important.

DAREN YEAP OF UGLYPRETTY,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/__________uglypretty/">@__________uglypretty</a>

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How did shopping at thrift stores drive you to launch UglyPretty?

I started off reworking the outfits that I bought from second-hand shops and wore them out in public. I also posted a few of the restructured pieces on my social media. Soon, I began to receive inquiries from my followers and sometimes strangers about my outfits and they liked and were interested in buying them. So, I decided to start UglyPretty where I sell repurpose and redesign clothes that I purchased from thrift shops.

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Where do you usually go to find inspiration? And who do you look up to?

My design inspiration comes primarily from my daily life and my &ldquo;out-of-the-box&rdquo; approach to fashion. With a sketchbook always in hand as I look around at magazines or boutique display, I would get many &ldquo;what ifs&rdquo; idea. An example would be, &ldquo;What if a mannequin hand is stitched on a jacket?&rdquo;. Comme des Gar&ccedil;ons designer Rei Kawakubo is largely the reason why I think this way. She has inspired me to make design normality in a different way.

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In your opinion, what makes UglyPretty so different from other independent fashion brands out there?

UglyPretty will always be about seeing beauty in different ways. What is the definition of &ldquo;ugly&rdquo;? What is &ldquo;pretty&rdquo; for that matter? Such notions are subject to the eye of the beholder. UglyPretty celebrates and champions this ideal for all to live by.

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The fact that UglyPretty is a new to the industry, how has it been so far? How are you adapting to the current situation?

Due to the pandemic, it has been very challenging. As a designer and a business owner, I have to adjust and adapt quickly. A major challenge is to maintain a sense of communication with my audience. I learned that social media is an extremely powerful tool for maintaining easy and effective communication.

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Has the pandemic influenced your design concept?

My designs were meant to be &ldquo;quirky&rdquo; and &ldquo;unconventional&rdquo;. It is still largely that way, but the pandemic has force me to tweak my approach. I&rsquo;m exploring more wearable designs such as modern corsets, shirts and crop-tops as alternatives, while still maintaining UglyPretty&rsquo;s aesthetic.

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What do you hope people take away from your design?

I always welcome positive criticisms because it helps to improve my brand and designs. I also take note of negative criticisms and consume them in strides. In a way, those comments help me fill up those loopholes in my works and drive me to be creative.

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Can you tell us what&rsquo;s your plan for UglyPretty?

I hope to bring more new styles and forms of clothing into the market. I want my brand to drive people to dress up for themselves and be proud of what they are wearing. I also wish that my designs will inspire other uprising fashion designers to think out of the box.

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KEL WEN OF BEHATI,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/behati.my/">@behati.my</a>

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How would you describe Behati and your sense of design?

Modern traditionalist. Whenever I create, I always refer to classic silhouettes, whether it is baju kurung, kebaya or sarong skirt. I try to modernise them with tailoring details, or the other way round. I like to infuse Malaysian heritage elements into my designs.

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And you have instilled even more local elements into your latest collection. Why is that so?

Malaysian history inspires me the most, especially our traditional costumes because I think the subject is pretty much untouched in the global fashion scene. I found that exploring into this course very inspiring, while allowing me to reinterpret classical designs with current concepts. Other than that, I also included a bit of the historical elements into our ad campaign, from colours to mood and backdrobe.

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Fashion designers and consumers have been behaving differently since the pandemic. How is your brand adapting?

We focus more of our attention on creating interactive online contents. We make sure that we are engaging our customers as much as possible through our website and social media platforms. We produce more wearable wardrobes with designs that are practical and sophisticated, that our customers can pull off as daily wear. The first drop was released in September. We also look at the sustainability aspect of our products, which means that our collections are now limited to a few pieces.

This will help us to supervise our production and minimise the waste of materials and fabrics. Another initiative that we have in the pipeline is to reinvent and redesign old garments into brand new pieces. Customers will have to send their clothes to us and we will reconstruct them based on a few design options.

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Fashion industry going digital &ndash; yay or nay? 

I am always supportive when it comes to digital content because I feel like this will be the future of fashion. To me, the digital platform allows all, if not most fashion labels to be more creative in expressing their creativity, and above all, their creations get to be seen internationally.

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As a fashion designer, it must be tough when it comes to trendspotting in the middle of the pandemic. How do you overcome it?

I personally feel that at Behati we are at ease with this matter because again social media has played a major role for us in doing our research. The digital access that we have has allowed us to observe and follow global fashion trends, and what I have noticed recently is that people are opting more towards dressing down. Most fashion designers today are showcasing pieces that are timeless, and as one of them, I think Behati is also driving towards the same path.

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How are you feeling right now that we are in the RMCO phase?

I&rsquo;m slowly getting back on track, busier than before honestly. Having to spend much of my time at home has allowed me to think of new ideas. Recently, I worked with our homegrown talent Ernie Zakri to direct her latest music video entitled Boneka. I was also requested to dress up Dato&rsquo; Sri Siti Nurhaliza for her two upcoming music videos. It is indeed a tough time for everyone, but we just have to keep moving forward.

6 revolutionary local fashion designers that should be on your radar

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