Creativity meets business
Homegrown brands strut their stuff at youth geared festival
THE sound of live local indie band music filled the air amid the occasional thundering roars that came from the engines of beautifully customised classic cars parked around the centre of the open space not far from the stage.
Surrounding the cars and the stage were tents that housed the retail outlets of various local independent clothing brands.
Whether you’re a fan of indie music, customised classic cars or just wanted to purchase a shirt from your favourite homegrown brand, there was something for everyone at the recent Creative Fest 2014 at Danga Bay, Johor Baru.
Organised by the Malaysian Design Development Centre (DDEC) the festival provided a platform for training and exposure for youths and entrepreneurs.
Besides the exhibitions and live performances, there were also seminars to assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in branding and product design development along with product commercialisation.
Among the highlights of the two-day festival was the Art of Speed’s “Kustom Kulture” vehicle show that featured a range of customised classic cars plus a number of motorcycles and “lowrider” bicycles.
The show’s intention was to bring visitors closer to art and design through automotive craftsmanship.
One of the exhibitors Kean Yap, 25, said that he and his family, who own six classic cars, drove all the way from Kuala Lumpur to the venue just to attend the show.
A component of the festival, Tempatan Fest, was one of the crowd pullers that left many visitor leaving Creative Fest with not only a smile on their faces but also with hands carrying bags of locally designed clothes.
Retail outlets of various independent local clothing lines promoted themselves under the Tempatan Fest umbrella, which is a quarterly festival dedicated to promoting Malaysian independent clothing brands.
“We want to show our customers that our locally made products are on par with those of the foreign brands,” said Hafiz Arif Bin Manan, 21, a crew member of the LEGIT clothing brand.
He added: “It is important for our youths to enhance the profile of our homegrown brands.” Achtung KL Studio CEO Seir Rashid, also a Tempatan Fest representative, was delighted to know that the event attracted people from across the region.
“(Some) people actually booked a flight from Brunei to come to Johor just for the event,” he said, adding that our neighbours from across the Causeway were also very supportive of the festival.
However, Seir believes that it is equally, if not more, important for Malaysians to show their support for the homegrown talents at events such as this.
“It’s good that the local talents now have a place to present their work.
“But being in this business is tough; we’re constantly challenged by foreign brands. The most important thing is for Malaysians to develop an appreciation for local talents.”