Houses / Malaysia
Malaysian fashion designers to know
Malaysian fashion runs from couturiers such as Bernard Chandran, Zang Toi and Rizman Ruzaini to occasionwear from Khoon Hooi and Alia Bastamam, multicultural traditional dress at Behati, batik at Innai and Sarawak songket at Tanoti. Each profile below lists what the label makes and dated milestones, every one with its source.
How this guide works
What counts, and what we leave out
This is an introduction, not a ranking. We chose twelve labels that between them cover Malaysian couture, occasionwear, Raya and bridal, traditional dress, batik and songket, accessories and sustainable design, and that have a public record we could check.
Every milestone links its own source. We left out labels with an unresolved legal dispute or that have retired, and claims we could not confirm. We found no Malaysian label on the official New York schedule for February 2026; shows in Paris and New York listed here were trade or off-calendar events, and we say so.
Facts were checked on 22 October 2026. Labels change lines, shops and partners, so if you represent one of them and see something out of date, send us a correction.
At a glance
The labels at a glance
| Label | Designer | Since | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernard Chandran | Bernard Chandran | 1993 | Couture and eveningwear: reworked Malay dress in womenswear and menswear |
| House of Toi | Zang Toi | 1989 | Couture and eveningwear: couture and eveningwear shown in New York for more than three decades |
| Jimmy Choo (the shoemaker) | Prof. Datuk Jimmy Choo | 1986 | Accessories: handmade shoes; he left the Jimmy Choo brand in 2001 |
| Khoon Hooi | Lee Khoon Hooi | 1999 | Ready-to-wear: feminine occasionwear with embroidery and prints |
| Melinda Looi | Melinda Looi | — | Couture and eveningwear: couture with technical experiments, including 3D printing |
| Rizman Ruzaini | Rizman Nordin and Ruzaini Jamil | 2005 | Couture and eveningwear: crystal-heavy couture, bridal and Raya wear |
| Fiziwoo | Mohd Hafizi Radzi Woo and Izree Kai Haffiz | — | Ready-to-wear: modern heritage pieces across ready-to-wear and artisanal lines |
| Alia Bastamam | Alia Bastamam | 2011 | Ready-to-wear: resort-led “laid-back luxury”, plus bridal |
| Behati | Kel Wen | 2018 | Textile heritage: traditional dress for men and women across Malay, Chinese, Indian and Bornean cultures |
| Innai and Innai Red | Izrin Ismail, after her mother Aishah Salleh | 2003 | Textile heritage: hand-drawn batik, and bespoke Raya and bridal under Innai Red |
| Hatta Dolmat | Hatta Dolmat | — | Slow and sustainable: ready-to-wear and eco-couture made with sustainable materials |
| Tanoti | Social enterprise; creative director Fitri Nasaruddin | — | Textile heritage: Sarawak songket and pua kumbu, woven with artisan communities |
Profiles
Who they are and what they make.
-
Bernard Chandran trained in Kuala Lumpur and Paris, launched his label in 1993 and opened his Kuala Lumpur flagship in 2003, according to his official biography. His work reinterprets Malay dress, and pieces were shown in the touring museum exhibition Contemporary Muslim Fashions, which opened in San Francisco in 2018.
- Since
- 1993
- Makes
- Womenswear, menswear and accessories
- Trained
- International Fashion Training Centre, Kuala Lumpur (1988); Paris American Academy (1989)
- 1991 Wins the Silk Cut Young Designers Award. Source ↗
- 2000 Makes his London Fashion Week debut. Source ↗
- 2012 Dresses Malaysia’s athletes for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Source ↗
- 22 September 2018 His pieces appear in Contemporary Muslim Fashions at the de Young museum, San Francisco. Source ↗
- July 2024 Marks 30 years with the retrospective show UNMATCHED in Kuala Lumpur. Source ↗
-
Couture and eveningwear · New York
House of Toi
Zang Toi
Born in Kuala Krai, Kelantan, Zang Toi trained at Parsons and founded House of Toi in New York in 1989, Penang Monthly reported in 2026. He still shows in New York during fashion week, outside the CFDA’s official schedule: his Fall/Winter 2026 collection was staged at Park Avenue Christian Church in February 2026.
- Since
- 1989
- Makes
- Couture and eveningwear
- Trained
- Parsons, New York
-
Accessories · London
Jimmy Choo (the shoemaker)
Prof. Datuk Jimmy Choo
Photo: Mark Seymour, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Penang-born Jimmy Choo trained at Cordwainers in London and opened his own London shop in 1986, Tatler Asia reports. In 1996 he co-founded J. Choo Ltd with Tamara Mellon; he sold his stake and left in 2001. The Jimmy Choo brand is now owned by Capri Holdings, with Sandra Choi as creative director, and he has no role in it.
That distinction matters when you shop: shoes sold as Jimmy Choo today are the brand’s, not the shoemaker’s. He opened JCA London Fashion Academy in Mayfair in 2021.
- Since
- 1986
- Makes
- Couture shoes; fashion education through JCA London Fashion Academy
- Trained
- Cordwainers, London
-
Ready-to-wear · Kuala Lumpur
Khoon Hooi
Lee Khoon Hooi
Photo: Boldlemon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lee Khoon Hooi founded his label in 1999 and sells from a store at APW in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. Since 2010 the label has shown to buyers in Paris through the Tranoï trade show, which runs alongside fashion week but is not the official calendar.
- Since
- 1999
- Makes
- Occasionwear, plus Raya and Lunar New Year collections
- Trained
- Malaysian Institute of Art
-
Melinda Looi runs couture, ready-to-wear and the diffusion line MELL from Kuala Lumpur, and designs uniforms for hotels, according to her official site. In 2013 she showed a bird-themed collection made with the 3D-printing company Materialise, and one of her gowns appeared on the posters for Contemporary Muslim Fashions in 2018.
- Makes
- Couture, ready-to-wear, the diffusion label MELL and hotel uniforms
- Trained
- LaSalle College, Montreal, funded by the 1995 Malaysia Young Designer Award
- 1995 Wins the Malaysia Young Designer Award. Source ↗
- 2006 Named Designer of the Year at the Malaysian International Fashion Awards for the second time, after 2004. Source ↗
- June 2013 Shows a 3D-printed, bird-themed collection in Kuala Lumpur. Source ↗
- 2018 Her gown features on the posters for Contemporary Muslim Fashions at the de Young museum. Source ↗
-
Couture and eveningwear · Malaysia
Rizman Ruzaini
Rizman Nordin and Ruzaini Jamil
Rizman Nordin and Ruzaini Jamil met as students at UiTM Seri Iskandar and founded their label in 2005. In 2024 Lady Gaga wore one of their crystal gowns on stage in Las Vegas, and they designed Team Malaysia’s opening-ceremony outfits for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. They opened KL Fashion Week 2026.
- Since
- 2005
- Makes
- Couture, bridal and Raya wear, and the RR ready-to-wear line
- Trained
- UiTM Seri Iskandar, where the two founders met
- October 2023 Debut at Dubai Fashion Week, closed by Naomi Campbell. Source ↗
- June 2024 Lady Gaga wears their red crystal gown at her Jazz & Piano residency in Las Vegas. Source ↗
- 2024 Design Team Malaysia’s opening-ceremony outfits for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Source ↗
- 3 August 2026 Open KL Fashion Week 2026. Source ↗
-
Ready-to-wear · Malaysia
Fiziwoo
Mohd Hafizi Radzi Woo and Izree Kai Haffiz
Founded by Mohd Hafizi Radzi Woo and Izree Kai Haffiz, Fiziwoo makes ready-to-wear and artisanal womenswear, according to its own story page, and in 2026 added a menswear line, Woo Brothers, which debuted at KL Fashion Week. Sources disagree on whether the label started in 2009 or 2011, so we give no founding year.
- Makes
- Ready-to-wear and artisanal womenswear, and the Woo Brothers menswear line
-
Ready-to-wear · Kuala Lumpur
Alia Bastamam
Alia Bastamam made her debut in 2011 and works in a resort-led register her label calls laid-back luxury, with atelier and bridal lines and the diffusion label ALIA B, according to her Dubai Fashion Week profile. She has shown in New York, off the official calendar, and on the official Dubai calendar.
- Since
- 2011
- Makes
- Ready-to-wear, atelier and bridal, and the diffusion line ALIA B
-
Textile heritage · Malaysia
Behati
Kel Wen
Kel Wen came to fashion from piano and theatre and started Behati in April 2018, Options reported. The label makes traditional dress for men and women drawn from Malaysia’s Malay, Chinese, Indian and Bornean cultures, including baju Melayu, and has shown at KL Fashion Week since 2019.
- Since
- 2018
- Makes
- Traditional wear, including baju Melayu
-
Textile heritage · Kuala Lumpur
Innai and Innai Red
Izrin Ismail, after her mother Aishah Salleh
Aishah Salleh started the hand-drawn batik label Innai in 2003; her daughter, Izrin Ismail, took it over in 2011 and launched Innai Red for bespoke bridal and eveningwear in 2012, The Edge reported. The label now sells Raya ready-to-wear and luxury lines alongside its batik.
- Since
- 2003
- Makes
- Batik ready-to-wear and Raya lines; bespoke bridal and eveningwear
-
Slow and sustainable · Malaysia
Hatta Dolmat
A Melaka-born designer with about two decades in fashion, Hatta Dolmat was runner-up in the first season of Project Runway Malaysia and has built his label around sustainable materials, Tatler Asia reports. He closed KL Fashion Week 2026 with 22 ready-to-wear looks and couture pieces shown alongside his own paintings.
- Makes
- Ready-to-wear and eco-couture
-
Textile heritage · Kuching
Tanoti
Social enterprise; creative director Fitri Nasaruddin
Tanoti is a Kuching social enterprise rather than a single designer’s label: it says it works with more than 800 artisans in 30 communities on songket, pua kumbu and other crafts. Accounts of its start differ between a 2008 weaving workshop and a 2012 brand launch. It staged its first solo runway at KL Fashion Week 2026.
- Makes
- Songket, pua kumbu and other woven crafts, made into clothing and accessories
In person
Where to see Malaysian design in person
KL Fashion Week is the main stage. Its 2026 edition ran 3–9 August on the Esplanade at KLCC Park, opened by Rizman Ruzaini and closed by Hatta Dolmat; see KL Fashion Week 2026 and the Asia fashion week calendar for the next edition.
Several labels here sell from their own Kuala Lumpur stores, and Raya collections arrive ahead of Hari Raya each year. For agencies and how to apply as a model in Malaysia, see our Malaysia modelling guide.
More designer guides: South Korean fashion designers to know · Indonesian fashion designers to know · Thai fashion designers to know · Vietnamese fashion designers to know · Japanese fashion designers to know · Mexican fashion designers to know · Brazilian fashion designers to know
Sources
Sources
Each milestone above links its own source. These are every page we relied on, checked on the date shown.
Represent one of these labels and spotted an error? Send a correction with a link to the record.
Quick answers
Malaysian designers, answered
Who are the best-known Malaysian fashion designers?
- There is no objective ranking. Long public records include Zang Toi (House of Toi, since 1989), Bernard Chandran (since 1993), Khoon Hooi (since 1999) and Rizman Ruzaini (since 2005). This guide gives each one’s dated milestones and sources.
Is Jimmy Choo Malaysian?
- The shoemaker is: Prof. Datuk Jimmy Choo was born in Penang and trained in London. He co-founded J. Choo Ltd in 1996 but sold his stake and left in 2001; the Jimmy Choo brand is now owned by Capri Holdings and he has no role in it.
Which Malaysian designer made Team Malaysia’s Paris 2024 outfits?
- Rizman Ruzaini designed Team Malaysia’s opening-ceremony attire for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Bernama reported.
When is KL Fashion Week?
- Once a year in early August. The 2026 edition, the 14th, ran 3–9 August on the Esplanade at KLCC Park with more than 50 labels. The next edition had not been announced when we checked on 22 October 2026.
Which Malaysian labels work with songket and batik?
- Tanoti, a Kuching social enterprise, works with Sarawak weavers on songket and pua kumbu; Innai began as a hand-drawn batik label in 2003; and Fiziwoo placed third in the Piala Seri Endon batik competition in 2011.