It will feature 30 local luxury designers showcasing their latest collection especially tailored for the campaign 

By NURUL SUHAIDI 

THE Malaysian Bumiputra Designer Association (MBDA) has launched MY Gaya Month in conjunction Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs’ (KPDNHEP) ongoing Kempen Beli Barangan Malaysia (KBBM) to promote Malaysian made products and uplift the fashion industry. 

MY Gaya Month is aimed to highlight the different visions and creativity of fashion designers in Malaysia and give the general public a glimpse of beauties of the local fashion industry. 

The campaign will be ongoing for 20 days featuring 30 local luxury designers showcasing their latest collection especially tailored for the campaign. 

Each designer is given the opportunity to design and showcase eight pieces per collection, following the theme ranging from menswear, activewear, modest apparel to versatile fashion. 

Those pieces will also be made available for purchase on various e-commerce platforms like Fashion Hub by MBDA, Shopee, Lazada, Aladdin1 and Zalora, with the prices ranging from RM 18 to RM 699. 

“MY Gaya Month is an initiative curated by MBDA that will unite fashion and lifestyle brands to raise the bar of excellence of the range of products to be made available not only in the local but also the global market,” KPDNHEP Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said. 

This demonstrates that MBDA is constantly planning and implementing initiatives to support the government’s plan to re-ignite the domestic economy, taking into account various industry sectors such as fashion. 

Additionally, this initiative will serve as an additional push factor to inculcate the confidence of the public in respect of the quality of Malaysian-made products. 

MBDA forecasts an approximate RM500,000 in product sales throughout MY Gaya Month. 

“KBBM efforts this time will also concentrate on allowing the public consumers to have a multitude of increased access to Malaysian made products and services be it via online or physical means, with the attention given to physical means being conducted with strict adherence to tight standard operating procedures in place,” Nanta Linggi said. 

In 2019, the execution of KBBM recorded RM 2.87 billion worth of product sales which involved 279,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) in the retail sector and RM 6.84 million worth of sales from online marketplaces. 

“Meanwhile, in 2020, the campaign witnessed a RM3.3 billion increase in sales which involved 326,000 SKUs. Online marketplace portals recorded a significant increase in sales in 2020 compared to 2019, with the value in sales exceeding RM145 million,” the minister added. 

Apart from promoting Malaysian fashion brands, this joint event will simultaneously stimulate the economy and create opportunities for growth in the industry, he added. 

Malaysian top menswear designer Bon Zainal Harun (picture) who is also the founder of MBDA said: “We want to create more entrepreneurs in the fashion and manufacturing industries. By obtaining more support from the local community, up-and-coming fashion brands can further position themselves on the map and compete with international brands.” 

“Designers might want to also emphasise the beauty of local fine arts, with designs such as batik integrated into their collections.” 

MY Gaya Month will end on a high note with a virtual fashion show on Nov 8 and 9, 2021, which will be live-streamed on multiple social media platforms. 

There will also be special collections that are featured in MY Gaya Month, such as bespoke accessories, wedding couture, sustainable clothing, red carpet couture and more. 

To find out more about MY Gaya Month, the designers and collections, visit https://fashionhubmbda.com , instagram mbda_official_ and @fashionhubmbda.