AIRASIA Foundation (AAF) made its debut in the world of fashion with the launch of its GOOD/jahat/ travel collection at Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week (KLFW) 2019.
The groundbreaking 12-piece collection, created in partnership with conceptual design house Projek Jahat, is made entirely from repurposed materials - from blankets to seat leather - sourced from AirAsia’s warehouses.
AAF Executive Director Yap Mun Ching said, “Our goal is to start a new conversation about upcycling. Projek Jahat’s approach to AirAsia materials is completely fresh. These are not viewed as items to salvage but a treasure trove that excites their imagination as designers.”
For Projek Jahat Curator Mohd Faizul Isa, better known as Joe, the collection makes a statement about the importance of considering an industry’s environmental footprint. At last year’s Fashion Week, Joe showcased a collection of various upcycled denim pieces, earning him media accolades as the “most eye-catching designer” of KLFW 2018.
“We want to show that nothing is waste. You just need to refresh it with new ideas. This time, we applied our interpretation of sharing economy principles to create a collection that adapts to the wearer, regardless of gender or size,” he said.
In partnering with AirAsia Foundation, he added that GOOD/jahat/ represents a coming together of AirAsia’s corporate responsibility and Projek Jahat’s creative energies to raise awareness about the importance of making mindful fashion choices.
All pieces from the GOOD/jahat/ runway collection will be available exclusively at Destination: GOOD, AAF’s flagship social enterprise shop in Kuala Lumpur, which opened its doors for business on Aug 23, two days after the collection’s KLFW debut.
Destination: GOOD retails more than 400 responsibly and ethically produced goods sourced from over 30 social enterprises in Asean. The shop will be housed at REXKL, formerly the iconic Rex Cinema, which was transformed into a multicultural creative and entrepreneurial hub. Like REXKL, Destination: GOOD seeks to promote culture and foster a sense of community.
AirAsia Foundation is committed to helping build an ASEAN Community of the future by advocating social entrepreneurship, equal opportunity, and innovation. As the philanthropic arm of the AirAsia Group, it provides social enterprise grants to empower underprivileged individuals, and supports projects that preserve and revive the region’s unique cultural heritage. Since its establishment in 2012, it has funded 24 social enterprises, creating impact in the lives of over 2,500 direct beneficiaries.
