Taylor’s University unveiled four Barbie collections in Malaysian-inspired garments at KLFW

17 Nov 2021

8 Min Read

Fariza Aniah Zaharullaili (Corporate Communications and Digital PR)

IN THIS ARTICLE

17 November 2021, Subang Jaya – Taylor’s University, Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week (KLFW) and Barbie Mattel collaborated on a new project to showcase Malaysia’s rich culture and heritage in an effort to preserve and celebrate the diverse arts and crafts of different ethnicities in the country.

The Patung Project which was officially unveiled to public at the recent KLFW showcase on 3 November, featured four students from Taylor’s Fashion Design Technology programme with their Barbie Doll collections clad in a modernised traditional Malaysian-inspired garments based on four artisanal themes – Nyonya Beading, Tekat Embroidery, Calligraphy and Henna.

Fashion Meets the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Andrew Tan, founder and chief executive officer of KLFW and Taylor’s University co-programme director for Bachelor in Fashion Design Technology programme said “The collaboration between KLFW, Taylor’s University and Barbie Mattel comes at a time when the fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0) is rapidly changing industries, requiring talents to acquire new set of skills for future jobs including fashion and retail segments. As the sector is experiencing unprecedented changes due to rapid digitalisation in its front-end and back-end processes, it is also imperative to ensure that veteran fashion moguls, as well as new and emerging talents within the fashion space are keeping up with the times to elevate Malaysia’s fashion and textile industry.”

To this end, Taylor’s University has looked to push the envelope in pedagogy to address the needs of the current market and help the nation’s social and economic development. Taking steps to future-proof graduates in a demanding labour landscape, The Patung Project’s main goal is to inculcate students with the right skills and experience to develop the agility and creativity to be able to tackle complex problems.

Empowering Students Through Industry Partnerships

“The Patung Project exemplifies our Taylor’sphere ambitions in nurturing students to develop critical skills that shapes their intellect, practical wisdom and craft. Furthermore, the partnership established with KLFW and Barbie Mattel, allows our students to flourish in a safe workplace setting that mimics the way the fashion industry operates while being mentored by our network of prominent industry mavericks such as Fiziwoo, Borneo Dolls and renowned Malaysian craftsmen,” said Maria Sandra Wijaya, Programme Director for Fashion Design Technology at Taylor’s University.

Craftsmanship and Cultural Mentorship

The Patung Project saw students creating three doll-sized garments each, with each student assigned to an artisan mentor who will be guiding them in their skills to develop designs and techniques in Tekat Embroidery, Nyonya Beading, Calligraphy art and Henna Art. These craftsmen include Puan Mardziah, Malaysia Tekat Artist; May Lim Seiw Seng, Malaysia’s renowned shoes beader; Ong Chia Koon, Calligraphy artist; and Revathi Uthamaseelan, Henna artist.

With the approach to encourage students to experience real-world work settings within the fashion industry, they were also given the opportunity to collaborate with industry players such as Fiziwoo, Malaysia’s prominent luxury fashion brand; and Wesley Anak Juntan, or more famously known as Wesley Hilton, founder of Borneo Doll. These industry mentors played the role of students’ advisors in conceptualising, developing, creating and styling their Barbie collections that’s fashion ready for KLFW.

Student Showcase: Modern Interpretations of Tradition

Local student Nur Hasyimah from Perak unveiled her innovated Barbie Kebaya design for the project, citing that alternative subcultures such as punk and goth that often embodies empowerment and audaciousness as her inspiration. “The concept of my Barbie Doll collection is to assert that same energy but with a twist to signify Malaysia’s rich heritage and culture. My innovated Kebaya collection designed with the simplistic nature of the traditional Tekat Embroidery aspires to resonate a sense of authenticity to Malaysia’s local traditions that’s injected with a spunk of gallantness in its designs and structures.”

Steffi, a student hailing from Indonesia created a collection of Barbie costumes based on the artisanal theme of Nyonya Beading – an intricate form of arts and crafts that represents the Peranakan community. “My muse for the collection was inspired by the ancient fashion pieces during the Babylonian era that’s rich in patterns and silhouettes, allowing me to experiment with the minutiae form of fashion artistry especially in layering and asymmetrical designs. With nyonya beading’s demand in meticulous skills and techniques, I have challenged myself to create my Barbie collection to emulate the colours, patterns and design of the kaleidoscope form.”

Sabah-born Michell Poh showcased her Indian traditional streetwear-themed collection inspired by the Akbar’s tomb architecture for the project. “Mehndi, or more commonly known as Henna in Malaysia, showcases an abstract art form that is often associated with positive spirits and good luck. For my Barbie collection, the five-story Akhbar tomb monument that’s intricately built with marvelous geometric, floral and calligraphic designs as well as rich colours and texture are the main muse for my Barbie Doll collection which puts focus on the Barbie’s Dhoti Pants.”

Liu Pei Yi from China was tasked to design and curate a collection based on the Chinese ancient tradition of calligraphy arts. “The idea of my designs is to marry together the elements and cultures of Chinese calligraphy into modern art forms by blending the two. My collection is a collaboration with a local creative calligrapher, Mr Ong, who helped me to draw Chinese calligraphy on the fabric which I then incorporated it into my modern design structures. The beauty of my collection is that each calligraphy emphasised in my designs are different pieces of beautiful and meaningful poems.”

Future Collaborations and Cross-Disciplinary Innovation

Murat Ariksoy, General Manager, Mattel South Asia, added that the project demonstrates the importance of university-industry collaboration. “The Patung Project is an exciting and bold initiative that encourages young and emerging talents to dare to dream big. Aptly so, the project compliments our 2021 Barbie You Can Be Anything Global campaign theme of ‘You Can Be A Designer’. Through Barbie, we hope to inspire young talents to embrace their dreams and creativity while celebrating cultural diversity through art and fashion. We look forward to more meaningful collaborations with Taylor’s University in 2022 and beyond as we continue to nurture versatile and innovative young talents who will one day lead the industry to greater success.”

In line with Taylor’s carefully curated Taylor’sphere ecosystem, the institution encourages inter-school collaboration that aims to equip students with academic knowledge, practical wisdom and the ability to create and innovate – within an atmosphere of creativity and collaboration. For The Patung Project, Interior Architecture students from Taylor’s University will also collaborate with the fashion design technology students to create the 360-experiential space for a virtual exhibition that’s expected to take place in December.

More information on Taylor’s University’s Fashion Design Technology programme and The Patung Project showcase, please visit link here.

BACK TO NEWS & ARTICLES

{{ firstlevel.title }}

{{ firstlevel.title ? firstlevel.title : vm.computedTitle(firstlevel.path) }}

{{ secondlevel.title }}

{{ secondlevel.title }}

{{ secondlevel.title }}

{{ secondlevel.title }}

{{ thirdLevel.title }}