After more than 30 years at the helm of the fashion industry, Dato’ Rizalman Ibrahim re-writes his story
AFTER MORE THAN 30 YEARS AT THE HELM OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY, DATO’ RIZALMAN IBRAHIM RE-WRITES HIS STORY
Come full circle is how Dato’ Rizalman Ibrahim describes the way his life has unfolded. It is because of this that the designer extraordinaire had no problem walking away from a celebrated career in fashion that spanned some 30 years. In February last year, Rizalman held his final showcase, a retrospective look at all the silhouettes that defined his career.
His decision to take the final bow was greeted with astonishment. The facy that one with a client list ranging from royalty to celebrity would choose to phase himself out seemed unfathomable to many.
“Actually I wanted to leave a few years earlier,” he says, talking to Augustman via video. Walking away from designing, just shy of turning the symbolic 50, at the age of 49, was something he had apparently been contemplating for a while. The catalyst, perhaps, was his eight-year collaboration with Zalora, where he had been creating a yearly ready-to-wear Raya collection.
“I was really out of my zone and my kingdom,” he says. “I was brought up to be a couturier, to approach fashion from a different perspective. But
when it comes to real fashion, real business, real marketing, it really drained my creativity. I had to be involved in many aspects and I had to encounter a lot of things that I don’t really like. It became very tiring and I decided to say good-bye to all that.
The finale, unlike any fashion presentation staged locally, was symbolic of the designer’s reputation. Staged at Istana Budaya, the show culminated in a showcase by Dayang Nurfaizah, his muse and friend. In true Rizalman style, the event was designed to be not a typical fashion show but a conclusion to a story that had taken place over three decades.
“I want to create my life as if it is in a movie,” he explains. “There has to be a beginning, middle and an ending that is really good. When the idea of taking myself away from fashion came, I felt that I had to exit the party in the most glamourous way.”
As a “diva,” he quips, partly in jest, the final bow had to be something spectacular.
“I had to leave the party before it ended,” he says nonchalantly. “And I ended it well. My job is done and I have done what I needed to do.”
Fashion today, he says, has evolved. Designers are hired by companies and are given KPIs and targets to meet. That’s a lot of stress, he points out. And despite the fact that he did not have shareholders, he felt the stress too.
“When I first started it was nice” he says. “You develop designs, you deal with small circles of clients but it gets bigger and bigger and bigger. Your staff are your responsibility. Things like that have led me to say that this is not what I want in life. It is too much.”
The pace of creating too has increased exponentially in recent times, so much so that fashion isn’t always treated as the art form it is.
“It is getting too fast so much so that it is devastating sometimes,” he says. “I have been in the industry for so long, I felt that I do not deserve this. I felt that I really needed to find a way out. I did try to diversify to other areas like interior design, weddings, retailing. But it gave more headache because I had to break myself into wearing many different hats and it was too much to carry on.”
Humans have limitations, he reminds. Having created every type of silhouette imaginable in the past has left him devoid of inspiration. “I have been doing this daily for 30 years,” he says. “That’s why we have limitations because I can’t think of any new silhouette.”
There are times, he admits, when he misses design but he prefers not to dwell on it. “It has ended but it has ended well,” he adds. “There are other things to discover in this world while you are still alive.
Just enjoy the world. I am glad that I ended my profession in this way. It shows a lot of dignity.”
That he is able to not look back on fashion has perhaps to do with the way his story was written out. Despite the high fashion mantle upon which he was placed, Rizalman describes himself as a “very simple Malay guy who comes from a simple background.” It was “by accident” that he was born with a love for fashion and an innate ability to create.
“But it so happens that this fashion world is full of glitz and glamour, which is sometimes made up of superficial people and I have to face them. Now I have freed myself from those things.”
What his collaboration with Zalora did for him was to remind him to return to his roots and impart his knowledge to the next generation of aspiring designers.
Last year, he was invited to sit on the board of directors for Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), the institution that gave him his start in the fashion world.
“I was just an SPM leaver at the time,” he recalls. “I was only 18 with no social skills. I didn’t know how to communicate. I had a tortured childhood where I was seen as the ugly duckling and weirdo in school, who didn’t play sport. At UiTM, I met a lot of people and learnt new ideas. I discovered that this is what life is. I came to KL, learnt to compete with other students. It was there that I set the vision for the future.”
His appointment, though a bit of a surprise, represents an opportunity for him to give back to
IT SO HAPPENS THAT THIS FASHION WORLD IS FULL OF GLITZ AND GLAMOUR, WHICH IS SOMETIMES MADE UP OF SUPERFICIAL PEOPLE AND I HAVE TO FACE THEM. NOW I HAVE FREED MYSELF FROM THOSE THINGS
the institution that gave him so much. A surprise because he sits among academics who hold numerous qualifications. But he adds that his appointment is a sign that the institution is open to ideas from the “outside world.”
“I am not an academician but I have been making decisions my whole life,” he says. “I was a student there 31 years ago and I am coming back with a lot of experience. I hope I will be there long enough to implement some change.”
The appointment is also further evidence of Rizalman’s belief that one’s path is determined by a higher power.
“I didn’t dream this but it happened,” he says. “It shows that you can dream as much as you want and it does happen, not always but it happens and the ones that happen are the good ones.”
Now, that he has left the fashion industry, the focus is on creating a sequel, or perhaps, writing an entirely new script.
“I want to concentrate on the balance of my life,” he states. “I have a lot to do before after-life. I really want to mark my presence in a different way. I want to be able to get more loyal followers, friends and fans. That was the message on that night.”
Always inspired by people who achieve great things in their professions, Rizalman took the cue from those who find a bigger purpose in life. These individuals can range from Hollywood stars to the late Nelson Mandela. They attain greatness, he says, but then they channel it back to society.
“I want to do that,” he asserts. In September 2020, Rizalman founded Yayasan RI, which aims to enhance knowledge on Islamic scripture, which he believes is integral in nurturing and shaping individuals. With the pandemic, the organisation has also been involved in providing assistance to
AT UiTM, I MET A LOT OF PEOPLE AND LEARNT NEW IDEAS. I DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS WHAT LIFE IS. I CAME TO KL, LEARNT TO COMPETE WITH OTHER STUDENTS. IT WAS THERE THAT I SET THE VISION FOR THE FUTURE
those in need. The setting up of the foundation is also in line with the fact that Rizalman has increasingly taken on a more spiritual path, looking to the Almighty to show him the way. It is that faith, he adds, that also led to him to calling it quits, ironically, just a couple of weeks before the nation - and the world - went into lockdown.
“I am really grateful to God for showing me the signs,” he says. “The fashion world became so silent. It seems like when I made the decision to retire, everyone had to retire too. I went into lockdown with a new group of friends and new found hobbies.”
Circumstances mean that Rizalman did indeed leave the industry as the “Last Emperor,” a title that had been bestowed upon him by his many followers. It is also a persona that he willingly played along with, at times controversially so.
“Was it really me or was it part of my marketing?” he asks. “Was it some act that I put on to fit into certain categories? I admit that I have the persona but it is also exaggerated. It is a bit like being in a movie, you need a good script and you need to have good actors. It is just a persona, something that we can put on and we can put off. It is just like fashion, it translates into a different language, different time and different location depending on our mood.”
Now that he is less concerned with having to fit in with certain “categories” of people, he feels a sense of liberation.
“I feel comfortable and I am able to talk freely,” he says. “I feel that I am in the right zone now, with the right circle of friends, people who understand me and who I understand.”
As his ‘retirement’ coincided with lockdown, Rizalman will have to wait for the pandemic to see how life after fashion turns out. His initial plan was to travel. While he concedes that he has seen his fair share of the world, he also says that he didn’t really absorb the experience.
“My travel when I was a fashion designer was just about fashion and more fashion,” he says. “It was all about looking for inspiration. It was always the same things. I wish I had seen more when I was younger because you can be more adventurous. But I do not regret anything because that is how it was written. Now I am hoping to see some other new excitement into the future.”
What will unfold is left to be seen.
“I will have to see what God has in store for me,” he says. “My life has been really blessed. Even during the pandemic, I have been blessed. I got to enjoy my time with family. I got to enjoy my house. I was able to enjoy doing nothing.”
I ADMIT THAT I HAVE THE PERSONA BUT IT IS ALSO EXAGGERATED. IT IS A BIT LIKE BEING IN A MOVIE, YOU NEED A GOOD SCRIPT AND YOU NEED TO HAVE GOOD ACTORS