36 Kristy Yong

Celebrating Women through Fashion

Kristy Yong recounts her adolescent days growing up along Jalan Sungai Besi where her mother ran a garment manufacturing workshop as some of her fondest memories, the catalyst for her career in retail today. It was also a time when the foundation of Ms. Read and d.d collective, two homegrown retail fashion brands, was built by her enterprising family. “Ms. Read was founded on the precept of inclusivity and survival with livelihoods that depended on it,” Kristy remarks.

Having cut her teeth at numerous creative positions in Australia, the UK and Malaysia, Kristy is now the driving force behind the contemporary label Ms. Read and d.d collective, spearheading a team she now calls her own. She has also taken on the responsibility of building up the brands’ e-commerce platforms as she cites that the bridge between online and offline shopping has become a competitive necessity.

November is set to be an exciting month for the two fashion labels. Following the success of the d.d collective x Shan Shan Lim collaboration earlier this year, a special edition of ddxSSL exclusive prints will be released. Over at Ms. Read, a partnership with Swarovski has been forged, leading to the launch of a capsule collection made by hand.

“Someday, it would be nice to work on the Read foundation – a platform that focuses on enabling women to break out of existing models through an employability programme,” Kristy wishes out loud.