Charity, chic and culture dominated the runway of the inaugural International Ipoh Fashion Week 2017 (IIFW’17) featuring an exclusive line-up of fashion designers, models, celebrity guests, performers and exhibition stands of both local and international stature.
As a prelude to a grand fashion week event for 2018, it was held from October 6 to 8 in conjunction with Visit Perak 2017 World of Wonders campaign. Set to be an annual key event in Perak, the lively weekend brought together Ipoh’s elites, trendsetters and culture lovers.
IIFW ‘17 served as a platform to generate funds for the benefit of Paediatric Cancer Care Unit of the general hospital with a targeted amount of RM80,000. Day one kicked off with a charity gala dinner running on the theme, “Night of Glamour and Glitter” at the Syeun Hotel grand ballroom complete with a red carpet and a giant star arch at the entrance.
Notable guests included Dato’ Seri Raja Azureen binti Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-lah; Dato’ Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi, the Executive Councillor for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Multimedia and Communications; Louis Sebastian, Founder and CEO of IIFW; Adeline Khan, COO of IIFW; Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS, Senior Consultant Paediatrician and Head of Paediatric Department of the general hospital; and Mona Shroff, Hong Kong-based designer of Mona Shroff Jewellery.
A cheque worth RM40,000 was presented to the Paediatric Cancer Care Unit of the general hospital. Next, there was a video presentation depicting the IIFW team’s heart-warming visit to the above-mentioned unit.
Another highlight was the 18-22k gold-plated handmade necklace studded with semi precious stones from Brazil and Madagascar crafted by Mona Shroff Jewellery which was auctioned off at RM7000. The one and only necklace was once worn by supermodel Gigi Hadid.
The evening was spiced up with performances from Lauren Campbell, junior international model from Singapore; Hilton Ho, latin American dancer; Vic Teo, singer and music producer; Star G aka Gul Muhammad, international singer and songwriter from Pakistan; and siblings Yeap Yen Chin and Derek Yeap of World Dance Council.
Ipoh Echo had an exclusive one-on-one with Christie P’ng, Lester Yim and Deviyah Daranee, three Ipoh-born talents who participated in the marque fashion event.
Christie P’ng, the designer of Chic ‘N’ Sleek elaborated on her collection, “The collection was solely designed in line with the themes of ‘glamour & glitter’ and ‘haute couture’ that exude elegance. The materials used were mainly 3D lace, organza, organdy and satin in midst of many others. In terms of colours, I incorporated a variety of shades ranging from warm tone colours to pastel.”
Showcasing a total of 11 designs, it took her approximately two months to complete. “Started designing since the year 1983, it has been more than thirty years since I have been in the fashion industry. I have been passionate about fashion since my early age and am mostly interested in designing couture ensembles,” she shared.
“I have plenty of experience in designing for beauty pageants as well as being involved in many beauty projects. A recent example was designing an eco-dress entirely made from recycled materials. Instead of using the usual recycled materials like paper and plastics, I thought of using cockles instead. And from there the fun began,” Christie enthused. She usually gets her inspirations from the many different textile patterns, designs and colours during fabric shopping.
Interested readers can visit Christie’s boutique at Ipoh Garden or email her at chicnsleek.my@gmail.com
Lester Yim, the designer of Lester Yim Couture, explained, “Inspired by various movies, my vintage collection, consisting of 19 handmade garments, has old-world elements from the 17th century. The colour palette comprises black, white and nude with materials such as feather, leather and lace. A lot of high collars, it is perfect for ladies looking for something unique.” This collection of his will be showcased in the Malaysia Fashion Week in KL this month too.
Swing by Lester’s Dressense Boutique located at No. 8, Tingkat Taman Ipoh 12, Taman Ipoh Selatan, 31400 Ipoh, Perak to find out more.
Deviyah Daranee, Miss Malaysia Earth 2012, stated, “I felt honoured to be walking for the first ever IIFW debut. The local and international designers alike, worked hard to bring their best creation to the local community for the prelude. Among them were the creative UiTM designing students, Lester Yim Couture, Siss On Bare (Australia) and Rina whom I particularly walked for. I could not pick my favourite as they were all unique in their own identity of style!” Together with the rest, she hoped that this would be a breakthrough for a greater event week next year.
The second day saw the fashion showcase being opened to the public. Also held at the Syeun Hotel, brands such as Martini-G, Connie.Johnny Made To Measure, Martini Suarsa, QueenMark (Singapore) and Suhara Jewel Art took centre stage with their Islamic and modern cultural fashion.
Meanwhile, ready-to-wear collections were presented at the closing runway at Movie Animation Park Studios (MAPS).
Caroline Wong, the amiable ambassador of IIFW told Ipoh Echo, “I’m very honoured to be invited by Louis to become their first ever ambassador. We are so proud to bring in international designers and models, thus putting Ipoh on the map. Not only is Ipoh best known for its food, caves and white coffee, it now encompasses both fashion and charity.”
She wore glamorous tailor-made creations of Christie P’ng of Chic ‘N’ Sleek (first and final day) and saree by Maya Malar of Maya’s from India (day two).
