KUCHING: Three renowned Sarawak fashion designers — Catherine LK Wong, Nur Rahman Ranong Abdullah and Wan Bainun Wan Zaizodin — will be among 21 fashion designers to showcase their collections at the Best of Asean Designers 2019 (BOAD10) festival to be held here next month. Catherine, an image consultant, will be showcasing her collections under the Catherine’s Design label.
The Sarikei-born entrepreneur established her own line, Catherine’s Design, in Oct 2001. Wan Bainun, an esteemed member and fashion ambassador of the Asean fashion Designer Showcase, is Malaysia’s representative. Last year, she was chosen to represent Sarawak in the Indonesia Modest Fashion Week 2018 in Jakarta in the young designer’s category.
Her collections were labeled under the name Wan Bynun. Nur Rahmah or simply known to her friends and family as Ranong Peru, is an ethnic Lun Bawang from Ba’kelalan. Like Wan Bainun, she is also an esteemed member and fashion ambassador of the Asean Fashion Designer Showcase, representing Malaysia. She will showcase Ranong’s artistic wares. BOAD19, slated for Sept 6-8, is organised by Creative Teamlab in collaboration with Asean Fashion Designers Showcase (AFDS) and supported by the state Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Ministry.
Events for the festival include Tastes of Asean Showcase, Create Your Signature Workshop and Designers Pop-Up Stories at The Spring Mall, with the highlight, Gala Nite, to be held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching on Sept 7.
Apart from Malaysia, BOAD19 will also showcase collections by designers from Singapore, Laos, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and China. The event aims to bring together Asean’s fashion designers and transform Kuching into a ‘city with a soul’ with the support of the private sector.
The festival seeks to promote Sarawak as a tourism destination for creative pursuits — arts, crafts or fashion, and showcase creative talents of established and emerging fashion designers from Sarawak and Southeast Asian countries.
