ANN/THE STAR – Fashion is compelled, more than ever, to be socially responsible. Beyond just the environmental aspect, designers and brands are also giving back to society.
Perhaps the act came to light during the Covid-19 pandemic, when everyone in the industry banded together to help out those affected by lockdowns.
Yet, it is not a passing trend – and we are still seeing fashion campaigns that partner charity organisations being pushed out regularly.
“For me, I’ve always been thinking about how to contribute back to society, even before the pandemic,” said Malaysian designer
Khoon Hooi. “It was always on my mind, but somehow, nothing was done in the past.”
He goes on to say that when the lockdowns froze the fashion industry, it gave a lot of designers time to think and put into motion such plans.
“For the first charity campaign, I decided to create bags using upcycled (leftover) fabric. All the profit from the sales went to help a refugee school in Malaysia,” Khoon Hooi related.
From then on, he started to come up with charity campaigns annually.
This year, he picked three local tastemakers – Marion Caunter, Ong Ming Yen (known as Yen), and Datin Shirieene Hajamaideen, who then designed two of the Khoon Hooi brand’s well-loved Chiasa bag each. The sales benefitted organisations of their choosing.
Caunter picked Rumah Kita, an NGO that shelters single pregnant mothers by providing them with housing as well as maternity and baby care.
While Yen chose the Lost Animal Souls Shelter, a non- profit, no-kill, canine welfare organisation that rescues sick, abused or abandoned dogs, Shirieene selected Yayasan Chow Kit, an NGO that caters to the needs of children in and around Chow Kit in Kuala Lumpur.
Another Malaysian designer, Carven Ong, has also actively worked with charity organisations. He said that fashion can play an important role in this regard, because the people in the industry move around in society a lot.
According to him, designers can also help bring a wow factor to charity events.
For example, he said that he often gets called on to put up a fashion show during such dinners or galas.
He added that designers have also held auctions of their most memorable designs or collections, and donated the proceeds to charity.
“They can sometimes help get the word out by just talking to their customers. A lot of them are in contact with large corporate companies too, especially the ones that run departmental stores and malls,” he said.
Ong recalled how he helped canvass for donations – both of monetary value and items – during the pandemic. He helped the orang asli community, as well as refugees.
“I remember calling up friends and anyone else I could think of to collect donations. At that time, what was needed was essential items like food, plus books,” he noted.
Ong is currently working with Living Hope, an organisation dedicated to be the voice for the unheard cries of the poor, needy and marginalised children living in Malaysia and internationally.
He is putting on a fashion show for the Living Hope anniversary dinner early next year.
The fashion industry’s pivot to focusing on giving back to society probably hinges on how shoppers are now socially aware.
The younger generation, more so, people of the Gen Z, expect designers and brands that they support to be championing causes too. “Definitely, the young are very in tune with what they want, and this is not just about designs and such. They want to see issues like the environment and society’s marginalised being addressed through their purchases,” Khoon Hooi pointed out.
Ong said it is indeed a welcome change.
“If the younger consumers are becoming more socially responsible, then this can only be a good thing for everyone, right?” he pondered.
All that said, the designers supporting charities are doing so out of their hearts. It has never been about following a trend.
“I’m helping out as a compassionate person, not just a designer,” Ong quips.
Khoon Hooi added that learning about the plight of certain communities has really touched his heart.
On the local front, designers doing their part for society is also in the spirit of Malaysia and its generous people. “Proud to be Malaysian,” Khoon Hooi said.
