Malaysia has no shortage of internationally renowned fashion designers. Han Chong who founded the contemporary luxury brand Self-Portrait counts Beyoncé, Blackpink, and Kate Middleton amongst his clients.
Meanwhile, Yeohlee Teng is a regular fixture in Vogue and her pieces are displayed in Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Famed fashion designers Rizman Nordin and Ruzaini Jamil have now also placed themselves in local history books by using the services of legendary supermodel Naomi Campbell for their very own fashion show.
One of six models of her generation to be declared a supermodel by the fashion industry, the British beauty made a stunning debut at the Dubai Fashion Week debut by closing the show for the Malaysian couture brand. At 53, she is still one of the most sought-after models in the business.
Having already carved their names amongst fashion greats in Malaysia, Rizman Ruzaini also similarly made their UAE debut by showcasing their spring/summer 2024 collection.
According to an Instagram post by the brand, Campbell donned the eponymous Naomi Cape and dress, “presenting the very essence of Rizman Ruzaini to perfection.”
Their artisans had poured more than 600 hours of their love and devotion into this dress that features songket motifs such as pucuk rebung, tampuk manggis, bunga tanjung, tampuk kesemak, and many more. The collection was inspired by the tale of Seri Gumum, a dragon that is said to slumber in the hauntingly beautiful dark waters of Lake Chini in Pekan District, Pahang.
In another post, the label expressed excitement at the achievement, “It’s the dream of every designer to have such an iconic supermodel walk for them. But when this became a reality for us, we were delighted at her candour and professionalism.”
“She is as real as a woman of the world gets, but also magical when she took the runway, on a world class platform like Dubai Fashion Week, wearing a Rizman Ruzaini piece. Naomi Campbell is in a class of her own. What an enigma.”
Fellow designers and local celebrities such as Marion Caunter congratulated the duo, saying, “Beyond anything!! Congrats again team. Hard work, perseverance, and keeping your feet always firmly planted on the ground have gotten you guys so far. So so proud.”
The brand also shared some behind-the-scenes footage featuring Campbell on their Instagram page:
The second Dubai Fashion Week was held at the Dubai Design District starting 8 October and featured 25 designers and labels from more than 12 countries.
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Image credit: rizmanruzaini