FASHION designer Jayakumar Vanialingam, or simply JK as he prefers to be known, has a soft spot for autistic and other special needs children.
Since 2018 he has hosted a fashion weekend in conjunction with World Autism Awareness Day, which falls on April 2.
This year, his fashion show will be hosted at the Sunway Putra Mall in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. The annual project called 'Autism Rules Fashion' took a pause in 2020 and 2021 due to restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As would usually occur, this year’s event will showcase artistic motifs drawn by autistic and other special needs children, which JK has designed into fashion apparel using zanda silk material.
The seven pieces of apparel which will walk the runway on Saturday under JK’s 'iilha' collection include shawls and bawal scarfs. They will eventually be sold as limited edition collections to the public, with a portion of the funds channeled back to the children.
Speaking to The Vibes, JK says everyone has some kind of inner talent that is just waiting to be untapped. According to him, special needs children too have that artistic bent for drawing and designing.
“They may be special children but they also have special talents that can be harnessed with proper guidance and encouragement. I have been volunteering with autism shelters before and that is how I came close to knowing these children closely. I realised their interest in wanting to express their thoughts through a creative medium.”
According to him, his 'Autism Rules Fashion Project' helps to fill a void in the lives of special children. The project is a platform for them to showcase their talent, shine and even perhaps find a career path by becoming motif designers in the fashion industry.
JK discovered his own love for fashion at a very young age. He learned and observed the fashion world through magazines and movies and helped create some of his late mother’s dresses.
“I have travelled to a good part of the world only to realise that my own country has a wealth of resources to inspire my designs. Our cultures, our stories, the colours as well as our ethnicity and indigenous pride. All of these gave me the motifs and elements which I displayed in my designs.”
JK’s designs incorporate plenty of aboriginal and cultural elements that are not only distinctive but are seen as divinely harmonious and primeval. His selections made for men and women were first unveiled during the Borneo Fashion Week in 2018, showcasing ready-to-wear collections under the 'JK Homme' and 'JK Femme', respectively.
That fashion event in Sarawak, not only introduced JK to the world but also earned him the prestigious recognition as a recipient of that year’s 'Upcoming Designer Award'.
Determined to make his mark, he embarked on many fashion pursuits – one of which led him to become a part of the Asian Designers Guild that had propelled him to become a fashion brand for the masses.
Following this, JK opened his first pop-up store in Metrojaya, Midvalley, an initiative with the intent of launching JK as an international brand.
Having a fine taste in fashion and clothing, JK also has a charitable spirit toward the disadvantaged.
“I try to mix fun fashion to highlight a social consciousness for the disadvantaged especially autistic and other special needs children. It is one way of bringing everyone together, to be inclusive as this year’s World Autistic Awareness Day is themed ‘Inclusivity in the Workplace'." – The Vibes, April 1, 2022
* The 'Autism Rules Fashion' fashion show begins at 3pm on Saturday, April 2nd at Sunway Putra Mall. Entrance to the event is free.
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