THE International Ipoh Fashion Week (IIFW) was the highlight at the close of Taiping’s 150th anniversary celebrations at Dataran Warisan, recently.
The organisers of the event, Louis Sebastian and Adeline Khan put up a rousing display of colour, culture and beauty despite the various challenges of relocating the event from Ipoh to Taiping.
Khan expressed optimism that the show can continue to be a main feature in Perak, as beauty pageantry blends well with tourism - an element which the state government is banking on in view of the great strides the state has made in the leisure industry.
"We hope the authorities can support our endeavour to make Ipoh a fashion hub to complement the Klang Valley and Penang," said Khan.
The two-day extravaganza featured designers from Indonesia, Thailand and Morocco with the latter being the star attraction, as the designer was making her debut in Malaysia.
Moroccan Loubna Ayouch through her line of Loayo Art, uses original artworks to stitch together her fashion apparel which has huge Moroccan influences.
Now based in Kuala Lumpur after a stint in South Africa, Ayouch spoke of how liberating her fashion designs can be for the women in her birth country.
It also built on building up self-confidence among women that they can be creative and innovative besides being entrepreneurs in going after their dreams in fashion, she said.
Earlier, Taiping Municipal Council president Khairul Amir Mohamad Zubir said collaboration between the council, local community, and private sector was key in securing the township's future as a sustainable and smart locality.
“By focusing on preserving heritage, sustainable development, and new technology, Taiping will continue to be an exemplary progressive city that respects history while being ready for future challenges,” he said. - January 3, 2025
