CHARMED like never before, on July 6, Taylor’s University, which is in collaboration with Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week (KLFW), recently staged THE SHOW: A Fashion Fusion Showcase featuring an exploration and confluence of art, fashion, sustainability, and technology.
The talented Bachelor of Fashion Design Technology (Honours) programme students presented a total of 39 innovative creations that challenged traditional fashion norms, leaving the audience of fashion enthusiasts, industry professionals, members of the media, and the general public in awe.
“Through vivid styling that transcends cultures and geographical boundaries, THE SHOW proved to be a transformative experience for all who attended. The Fashion Design Technology students harnessed their unique ability to integrate cutting-edge technology into their designs with an artistic vision. These ingenious designs emphasised the fusion of fashion and technology, pushing the envelope of creativity and craftsmanship to redefine the future of the industry,” stated Taylor’s Bachelor of Fashion Design Technology Programme Director, Maria Sandra Wijaya.
The event showcased four fashion collection concepts: Organic Geometry, which fuses materials and colours to form shapes and structures of garments; Unconventional Fashion, which uses mixed media art to create texture and depth; Layered Fashion, which layers every part of the textile; and Genderless Morphe, which transforms into interchangeable designs.
Taylor’s University Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, Professor Dr Pradeep Nair, stated that the Fashion Design Technology degree provided by Taylor’s Design School is developed differently than other fashion programmes.
“THE SHOW is a prime example of how we incorporate high-end technologies like body scanners and an impact-based approach into our fashion technology degree to graduate world-class designers aligned to the triple bottom line concept of sustaining people, planet, and prosperity,” he said.
First-ever 3D Fashion Pod
Prior to the exhibition, a Show and Tell Press Segment was held at Mayamode, Malaysia’s first co-working fashion studio, to present the nation’s first 3D Fashion Pod. 3D body scanning technology improves precise body scanning and digital measurements, enhances production speed, removes physical samples, lowers sample-making costs, and reduces material waste, resulting in a more sustainable fashion manufacturing process.
This was made feasible by a collaboration with Puspamara Sdn Bhd, a premier garment manufacturing company founded in the 1970s with the goal of meeting growing fashion processes through comprehensive product development research.
“We are now moving forward as the leader in digitised garment development using 3D body scanning and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) technologies,” said Director of Puspamara Sdn Bhd, Ibrahim Aiman bin Mohd Nadzmi.
The integration of the 3D Fashion Pod and CLO 3D technology, a CAD tool, will further strengthen Mayamode’s world-class facilities, enabling virtual fashion and made-to-measure clothes.
This 3D Fashion Pod will support the National Size Malaysia Campaign in addition to empowering educational institutions to incorporate technology into the classroom.
The campaign is led by Ts Dr Norsaadah Binti Zakaria, a Research Fellow at The Design School, and funded by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry’s Department of Standards Malaysia. It aims to analyse and collect Malaysians’ body measurements in order to develop the first national standard sizing system that will benefit Malaysian consumers and the garment industry.
Before beginning THE SHOW, students from the Bachelor of Interactive Spatial Design (Honours) were given the opportunity by Virtualtech Frontier to collaborate with Fashion Design Technology students and industry partner Mitoworld to create Malaysia’s first Metaverse Fashion Show called MAYAmode, taking inspiration from the official language of Malaysia, Maya,” which denotes virtual, and in the same capacity as the programme’s identity, Mayamode Fashion Studio.
“We are ecstatic to join forces with these talented students to bring MAYAmode into existence. This extraordinary metaverse showcases top-notch facilities and technology together with an exclusive retail pop-up for Taylor’s fashion label, MAYAMODE, which also includes an impressive display of past projects crafted by Taylor’s Bachelor of Fashion Design Technology students. By collaborating with these visionary individuals, we are charting the course for the future of fashion, embracing innovation, and pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved in the digital realm,“ stated Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Virtualtech Frontier, Jason Low, a developer of Mitoworld.
Preparing for the future of fashion
Taylor’s University continues to be a forerunner in fashion education, encouraging students to embrace technological breakthroughs and venture into unexplored territory in order to future-proof graduates in a demanding labour sector.
THE SHOW was a true testament to the university’s commitment to developing the next generation of fashion leaders through education excellence and shaping the future of the fashion industry by equipping students with the necessary skills and experience to tackle complex problems.
This fusion showcase featured collaborations with SUB International Beauty School, providing hair and makeup services, while ZALORA sponsored footwear, OXWHITE for guest gift vouchers, Bombay Sapphire’s Art of Botanicals Cocktail, and a long-term partnership with Komuniti Tukang Jahit in order to award a student with the Innovative Sustainable Design Award across the four fashion concepts.
Through fascinating performances, canape-style foods served, and an edible art sculpture exhibition constructed completely of chocolate, fondant, and food components, THE SHOW also witnessed interdisciplinary cooperation among schools within the Faculty of Social Sciences and Leisure Management.
Everything was truly magnificent, as it was a true diversion from the fashion shows that you would usually see in Malaysia, and not only was it something different, but it was also something that was tastefully done right.
