Flying high
THESELINA handbag line is the creation of veteran public relations guru Selina Yeop Jr and features a signature ‘S’ in the traditional tekat (raised embroidery) style. It debuted last July in London — the fashion capital of the world.
The bags are Selina’s second foray into the fashion world in recent years, following her work as co-creative director with singer Ning Baizura for Cambodian label Romyda. TheSelina has since been launched in Malaysia and features 10 designs, including new colours for some of the bags.
A dual tone clutch under the Twilight collection is refreshed using pony hair from its original suede. This “gives the clutch an extra touch of elegance but it is also water resistant”. There’s a mini duffel bag in a fashionable military green shade and two versions of the Dubai carryall in gold and silver leather. The carryall comes with a mirror and is designed to be large enough to store all kinds of travel essentials.
Selina also has a deal to sell her bags on Temptations, Malaysia Airlines’ inflight shopping channel. Two designs, a beige multipurpose pouch and a purple multipurpose charger pouch have been released, especially for Temptations, and are also available on mhtemptations.com.
“I am grateful to Datuk Hafshah Hashim, the CEO of SME Corp who supports local brands and put in a good word for TheSelina as a local brand with growing international presence,” says Selina.
“The association with Malaysia Airlines is very important to me as it exposes TheSelina to a huge international community and I believe that the brand has arrived to a certain standard in order for the national carrier to accept it on its list of inflight merchandise.”
Meanwhile, Selina plans to launch the handbags in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and the US this year. Also in the works is a diffusion line for TheSelina, which she will launch in London this month. As for the original release, she says: “I am very delighted with the reviews received.”
Prices for TheSelina range are from RM700 to RM5,500. The bags are available locally at The Studio in the Gardens Mall and online at London-based modest clothing portal, modestrove.com.
The association with Malaysia Airlines is very important to me as it exposes TheSelina to a huge international community.
Selina