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Showcasing Malaysian design on the wide digital platform through new fashion trade portal FASHIONISTA.MY
M-IFW’10 closes with a glorious M-IFA GALA, and a new commitment from Maxis to the growth of the online fashion experience
Maxis Berhad (“Maxis”), Malaysia’s leading integrated communications provider and Main Presenter of Malaysia-International Fashion Week 2010 (“M-IFW’10”), today formally launched the FASHIONISTA! trade portal – the first fashion marketplace showcasing the work of Malaysian designers to apparel buyers around the world. The portal goes live to the world on 10 November.
(L-R) Model Danielle Graham and Maxis’ General Manager and Head of Device Management Lai Shu Wei presenting designer Michael Ong with the Maxis Innovation Award for Star Couture.
The launch of the portal as the climactic highlight of the M-IFA Gala, itself the most anticipated part of the country’s premier style event – was officiated by guest-of-honour, DYMM Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, His Royal Highness The Sultan of Selangor, and witnessed by Chairman of Maxis Berhad, YM Raja Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Arshad bin Raja Tun Uda as well as by Gala attendees spanning the fashion A-list.
The portal produced in collaboration with the Malaysian International Fashion Alliance (“mifa”) features 11 designers at launch, whom it empowers with visibility and trade relationship-building tools on the limitless territory which is accessible through Maxis’ fixed- mobile network. The eleven designers or labels include established names such as FARAH KHAN and BERNARD CHANDRAN, as well as newer names such as GALLO and KLutched – and encompass areas from couture to accessories.
Said Maxis’ Vice President and Head of Product, Devices and Innovation T. Kugan, “Maxis is committed to giving customers what they dream of before they know of it themselves, and to the overall growth of enriching contents and services on the digital platform. Fashion is certainly one of the most enriching, for its permanent emphasis on good design. The portal can certainly continue to grow so long as there is design talent.”
“FASHIONISTA! features an advanced user experience that will encourage our designers to use digital tools to develop new trade connections – and which will attract interest from buyers looking for the most up-to-the-minute fashion sources with which to satisfy increasingly demanding fashion customers.
As more and more fashion is being talked about and seen or shared through digital connectivity – we wanted to go deeper into actually building a customised platform offering fashion producers the most current capabilities with which to grow their businesses and ultimately, the level of enrichment Malaysia can expect from its design innovators.”
(From left) Designer Silas Liew receiving the M-IFW’10 award for Most Promising Designer of the Year, from CEO of Star Publications Group Datin Linda Ngiam; Maxis’ Vice President and Head of Product, Devices and Innovation T. Kugan; and m-ifa CEO Syeba Yip.
Said couturier Dato’ Bernard Chandran of the new portal, “It is definitely timely. As we all know, the world is moving ahead to embrace everything digital.
This will ease the process for buyers to go through designs and get to know the designers before face-to-face contact.” The Malaysian designer with an haute and widespread client list is sure that international buyers will be able to judge from his inclusion in the portal, “that my designs are futuristic, sculpted, edgy in cut and silhouette, all melding to produce wearable choices with real appeal.”
The new portal at www.fashionista.my, although primarily a business-to-business site, also offers fashion adherents the ability to view designer collections and vote for their favourite items. This in turn provides valuable feedback to both designers and buyers, on which fashion goods are likely to be star performers in sales terms.
In the near future, the portal will also feature social network voting and sharing capabilities, and be available through multiple channels and devices with the addition of a WAP portal favouring widespread mobile browsing, and with custom applications for enhanced enjoyment on customers’ chosen platforms.
FASHIONISTA! provides a seamless experience on all major browsers (IE7, Safari, Firefox and Chrome) and is programmed with Ajax to ensure smooth continuity of page display and behaviour together with a highly dynamic or interactive interface.
Designed for intuitive navigation, simple and enhanced product viewing, and with advanced search and filtering to speedily connect buyers or browsers with items of interest to focus further on – FASHIONISTA! is truly the result of the increasing integration of contents and resources from the worlds of fashion and technology.
Advanced content management tools enable designers to easily upload and update label profiles, collection photos and descriptions and own-URL links – and of course their contact details which only registered buyers can view. In the near future, buyers will also be able to send all featured designers at once, a specific query to easily kick-start the first part of the negotiation.
The trade portal’s simple yet stringent, registration and verification processes also offers designers and buyers the security of knowing that they are selling to, or buying from, MATRADE (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation)-verified organisations or mifa-verified designers.
Testifies featured bag designer Sasha Rowena, whose creations reference both East and West, with recent inspiration from wayang kulit and jungle wildlife: “With a trade portal, growing businesses would be saving on travelling costs as well as having more time to concentrate on other aspects of the business rather than just travelling to source for buyers.” Sasha would like her brand to get more local recognition but also for it to grow internationally and cater to a wider clientele, and feels that the moment is now for “designers to keep up with what’s going on with information technology especially when it assists us with generating sales and creating brand awareness”.
Maxis is pleased to contribute a new fashion platform, as part of an ecosystem or integration of life services contributing to the connected fabric of Malaysian economy and society.
(From the right) m-ifa CEO Syeba Yip; Chairman of Maxis Berhad YM Raja Tan Sri Arshad Uda; HRH Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah; m-ifa Chairman Mr Heah Sieu Lay and designers featuring on FASHIONISTA!, on stage to close the M-IFA GALA with the launch of the new trade portal connecting Malaysian designers and international buyers.
(L-R) MCs Edwin Sumun and Deborah Henry; m-ifa Chairman Mr Heah Sieu Lay; HRH Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah; Chairman of Maxis Berhad YM Raja Tan Sri Arshad Uda; m-ifa CEO Syeba Yip and designers featuring on FASHIONISTA!, moments before the climactic closing of the Malaysia-International Fashion Week (“M-IFW’10”) with a new platform to showcase Malaysian design.
