Photo source: Dragon (Independent Publicist @ PRESS MATTERS for FM Group)
The much-awaited second edition of Precious of Malaysia which FM Group organised concluded its week-long culture, heritage and fashion campaign with its Cultural Gala Night, which was held at the Mirage By Pak Abu Ballroom at Zebra Square.
Themed “Cultural Revolution – Truly Malaysia”, the prestigious campaign aimed to raise awareness among society and help the government to empower, conserve and preserve, our national heritage, culture, history, art, fashion, tourism and unique Malaysian lifestyles for future generations to come.
The campaign was supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture (MOTAC) and Jabatan Warisan Negara. This year’s campaign focused on four major components – Cultural Fashion Week, Tanjak & Tengkolok Di Raja Exhibition, Hari Tanjak Malaysia, and tonight’s Cultural Gala Night.
Hosting the cultural gala night was Precious of Malaysia founders, and renowned Malaysian fashion designers Farel Mikhail & Jonathan Kok from FM Group.
Gracing the spectacular gala night was Guest of Honour Datin Sri Esther Hew Mui Lan (the spouse of Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture) and Precious of Malaysia patron YM Tengku Dato’ Dr Hishammuddin Zaizi bin Y.A.M. Tengku Bendahara Azman Shah Alhaj.
“We at FM Group always do our best to highlight our local heritage and culture through campaigns and performances that symbolize Malaysia through fashion. This year, we stepped up our efforts by presenting an immersive cultural experience through the second edition of Precious of Malaysia,” expressed Farel in his welcome address.
“Precious of Malaysia also provides a platform for emerging young fashion designers to showcase their creative and competitive designs and build a name for themselves,” he added.
“We strongly believe that Precious of Malaysia will be a symbol for Malaysia, where we can preserve & empower culture, heritage, lifestyle, local food and tourism to have a positive impact on the country’s fashion, culture and tourism industry as well as to promote it domestically and internationally,” Farel concluded proudly.
Among the key highlights of the Cultural Gala Night was the Malaysian Cultural Fashion Design competition which saw seven fashion designers from the ASEAN Fashion Designer Confederation, a heritage preservation group and four colleges that included fashion design students from Taylor’s University, ESMOD KL (The ONE Academy), UiTM and Kolej Community Selayang. The competition highlighted their immense creativity and focused on propelling the industry forward by introducing various elements of culture & heritage into the mainstream flow of fashion in Malaysia today.
Emerging victorious as the Best Designer was Afiq Syazani, while Taylor’s University and UiTM emerged as first and second runner-up respectively. Afiq also won an award for Best Showcase.
Self-taught tailor Zhuraida Said won the award for Best Malaysia Brand, while the Most Talented Designer award went to Arm Nabil, with Sabahan Qif Alvarez securing the Most Promising Designer award. Kenny Loh Couture from Penang walked away with the ASEAN Emerging Fashion Designer award while Faridz Salleh was presented with the Upcoming Fashion Designer award
ESMOD KL from The One Academy bagged the Icon Fashion Designer award while Warisan Kesenian Laksamana Malaysia (WAKALAM) took home the Best Culture Inspiration award. The Best Model award went to seasoned model Tarshini.
The winners were selected by an esteemed panel of industry judges that included well-known journalist & writer Francis Yip, Founder & CEO of Beast Cosmetics & Art Figura Jasrina Jasni and HITs Royal Edition 2023 Ambassador Norfarhati Hakim.
Also presented during the gala night was the Precious of Malaysia’s official theme song which was composed by Hamid Fahmi, with Farel Mikhail as its lyricist. It was performed by rising new singer Danish Aiman. Danish also took turns with upcoming singer & actress Erissa Puteri Hashim to perform various traditional songs throughout the night.
Attendees also had a chance to enjoy fashion showcases by Farel X Bonia, Farel Mikhail (Melayu manis), and Jonathan K’s Prestige (cheongsam).
Another major and unique highlight of Precious of Malaysia this year was the commemoration of the Hari Tanjak Malaysia which was held at Muzium Negara on 21st October 2023, along with the Royal Tanjak & Tengkolok Exhibition at the same venue from 26th to 29th October 2023. The Tanjak or Tengkolok is a type of headgear traditionally worn among the Malay community, mostly among men, but some women wear it. It is made of long songket cloth that is folded and tied in a variety of styles. The folding of this fabric has evolved with the passing of time, refined and modified according to the wearer’s skills.
To earmark the rich heritage of Malaysia, guests at the gala night were also seen dressed in traditional attire. Also featured during the night was a Silat (Malay martial arts) showcase by WAKALAM and various traditional dance performances.
In line with the theme of the gala night, attendees to the event also had the opportunity to enjoy delicious traditional Malay dishes which were specially prepared by Pak Abu and his team of authentic “kampung” cooks.
The gala night concluded with everyone dancing and having fun with Joget Lambak collectively.
The key sponsors and supporters of Precious of Malaysia this year included Jabatan Muzium Malaysia, Muzium Negara, Beast Cosmetics, Art Figura, Tik Tok, Bonia, Studio Karya Production, Mirage by Pak Abu, Restoran Saprah, Dancing Art Solution, Mewah Rose, Langkawi Marine Park, Rentak Sejuta, KKBIS, Pernilam and WAKALAM, among many others.
The show was emceed by actor, comedian and television presenter Syed Muradzi bin Syed Shamsul a.k.a Dee, who had the audience in stitches with his humorous banter and larger-than-life personality throughout the night.
Cultural Fashion Week Award Winners:
Winner – Afiq Syazani
2nd place – Taylor’s University
3rd place – UiTM
Best Malaysia Brand – Zhuraida Said
Most Talented Fashion Designer- Arm Nabil
ASEAN Emerging Fashion Designer – Kenny Loh Couture
Best Model – Tarshini
Best Culture Inspiration- WAKALAM
Best Malaysian Inspiration – Kolej Komuniti Selayang
Promising Fashion Designer – Qif Alvarez
Icon Fashion Designer- ESMOD KL
Best Collection- Harry Putra
