The 2nd Malaysia Fashion Week forthcoming this November

Malaysia Fashion Week (MFW) is an international event that gathers Malaysian and international fashion designers and industry players to be held from 4th – 7th November 2015 in Kuala Lumpur through a series of “ground breaking” fashion shows featuring designers from over 15 countries, a stylish gala event and a trade exhibition called FACIT@INTRADE.

MFW is a collaborative effort between Malaysia’s national trade promotion agency MATRADE (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation) and Malaysia’s leading fashion event organiser STYLO International, aims to boost the Malaysian fashion industry by propelling local fashion brands internationally, whilst elevating Malaysia into a major fashion hub both in Asia and globally.

As a hub, a fashion place, MFW connects trade buyers, exhibitors and designers from the ASEAN Region and the world to source for, and showcase the latest in fashion, accessories, footwear, cosmetics and the likes.

MFW consists of three core components: Malaysia Fashion Showcase (MFS), Mercedes-Benz STYLO Asia Fashion Week (MBSAFW) and FACIT@INTRADE (short for Fashion, Art & Accessories, Cosmetics, Interior and Textile).

The fashion shows for Spring/Summer 2016 will feature Malaysian designers under the MFS banner, together with Asian designers under the MBSAFW banner. MFS unveils Malaysia’s best of the best collections and it’s a celebration of Malaysia’s fashion for the world. The MBSAFW is a joint collaborative effort between STYLO International and luxury automaker, Mercedes-Benz. MBSAFW will see more than 60 designers from over 15 Asian countries showcase their collection using MFW as its Asian platform. It is a trade fashion event headlined by ASIA for ASIA which portrays a fusion of Malaysian, Asian and Western influences.

FACIT@INTRADE is the lifestyle component of MATRADE’s trade initiative, i.e: International Trade Malaysia (INTRADE). A successful national and international trade exhibition that has been running for the past 8 years, FACIT@INTRADE is aimed at positioning Malaysia as the region’s number one destination for leading fashion brands, accessories, textiles, cosmetics and personal care. FACIT@INTRADE places Malaysia on the map as the international destination inspired by the latest designs, quality textiles and high-quality fashion accessories.

With one of the largest Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) communities in the world, Malaysia has always maintained a unique relationship with India that covers trade and investment; science and technology; education; human resource development; tourism, culture and fashion.

India is Malaysia’s largest trade partner in South Asia with a steady growth of bilateral trade over the last decade at an average rate of 14.6 percent. This strong relationship between the two nations was further elevated in 2011 with the signing of the Malaysia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (MICECA), a bilateral Free Trade Agreement which covers all aspect of trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.

According to the Trade Commissioner of Malaysia in Mumbai, Mr. Mazlan Harun, in 2014, the bilateral trade between Malaysia and India reached USD 13.84 billion. As part of the initiatives to boost trade between the two nations, he encourages Indian importers and buyers to register under its International Buyer Meeting (IBM) programme. The IBM programme, which runs concurrently with MFW, is a platform where Indian companies can meet Malaysian companies and designers in a pre-scheduled B2B meeting format.

Indian businesses are invited to contact the MATRADE office in Mumbai to gain further information on how they can participate in this event and utilize the platform to strengthen their ties in Malaysia with designers and industry players.

Last year, the inaugural MFW in 2014 featured 65 designers from 15 Asian countries including Malaysia and other Asian countries such as Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan, China, South Korea, Japan, India, Pakistan and Australia. The collection included Ready-To-Wear, Evening Wear, Bridal, Muslimah and Street Wear. The MFW 2014 was indeed ground breaking, whilst 2015 will continue to see over 60 designers from 15 countries.