Amaratpal Donnie is making a statement with the material he uses in his creations. His unconventional style appeals to those who wish to stand out in a crowd.
Turning sunshade into a fashion statement
Making a statement — fashion designer Amaratpal Donnie follows his innate feeling to create a style that no one would have imagined could be worn as fashionable attire.
His fashion, in an unconventional way, attracts those who clearly want to stand out in a crowd.
The material he uses is often utilised for agricultural purposes, as well as in gardens and open terraces.
Donnie was in a backstage dressing room assisting another designer in a show in Malacca, while I was helping our Sarawakian designers who were showcasing Borneo contemporary fashion.
He was certainly a showstopper dressed in AD, his own fashion label, in that backstage room. Drawn by what I saw, I stopped him as we crossed paths.
I took a closer look at his waistcoat in disbelief. It was indeed the black greenhouse cover mesh that provides UV protection, is breathable, and helps to moderate temperature. It surprised me to see it fashioned into an attire to match his shirt, complete with his label logo.
He draped his robe made of this sunshade material around me and asked how it felt. It was neither heavy nor uncomfortable. We even posed for a photo.
Months later, I came across Donnie again, and this time his unique, unconventional fashion was on the runway. Needless to say, an interview followed.
When asked what inspired him to incorporate such a man-made fibre into his clothes, he said: “When I first saw the sunshade material, it was being used in my dad’s garden to shield his plants from the sun and other external environmental factors. The texture of the material caught my attention and got me thinking about how I could fuse my passion for fashion with this unique item. I’ve always been intrigued to unconventional methods and materials, and I love transforming them into wearable, sustainable fashion pieces.”
And thus, “Jar-ring” was born in a collection under the umbrella of “Coming Out The Closet”.
“Jarring” (jaring) means “net” in Bahasa Melayu, while in English it refers to a striking appearance that catches the attention.
Donnie designed a range of looks using the sunshade material, and it has been one of his greatest successes to date. It even earned him the Best Runway Couture at the 2022 MGM (My Gaya Month) held in KL City, Bukit Bintang.
According to him, a designer should always be looking for new approaches to stand out in an ever-changing world.
He employs many methods and resources, all while maintaining sustainability at the forefront of his designs. In fact, all of his looks may be worn in a variety of ways as the pieces are detachable and easily mixed and matched.
Furthermore, the sunshade material he uses are recyclable and reusable.
“When creating our designs, we make sure that we follow the proper procedures and take into account the environment as well. As a sustainable platform, we believe in repurposing existing materials while maintaining the wow factor,” said Donnie, who admitted that he never attended any fashion design schools.
Despite not having a formal academic background in fashion, he has always been a street-smart designer who never gives up on his dreams because of his passion for fashion.
He believes that fashion is not static or fixed, but rather flows in a variety of shapes and forms, conventional and unconventional.
“Through my fashion brand AD, I aim to represent each individual’s inner and outer personalities and bring out the best in them in the most unique way possible,” said Donnie whose fashion label AD is available at the Quill Mall in Kuala Lumpur.
