https://www.scmp.com/rss/500378/feed Emma Chong Johnston has worked in lifestyle and fashion publishing for over 10 years, most recently as the managing editor of Elle Malaysia. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, she has also written for Forbes Travel Guide, WanderLuxe, Esquire Malaysia and Time Out Kuala Lumpur. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The way fashion works right now is bad for the Earth. The astonishing rise of fast fashion over the last decade has created a monster; specifically, a monster that is one of the most environmentally harmful industries in the world, responsible for 10 per cent of global carbon emissions and the second-largest polluter of water worldwide after agriculture. Every step involved in getting new clothes into the hands of consumers has its own issues, but one of the most damaging is textile production.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3112833/how-natural-dyes-could-solve-fashion-industrys-polluting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3112833/how-natural-dyes-could-solve-fashion-industrys-polluting?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Dec 2020 20:45:05 +0000 Fashion-based social enterprises are nothing new. Back in 2006 American company Toms pioneered the then-revolutionary one-for-one concept, giving a pair of shoes away for every pair bought, and since then, purpose-driven brands the world over have adopted similar concepts, pledging portions of their proceeds to charitable and environmental causes. To Southeast Asians, some of these charitable causes can seem physically distant and foreign in purpose, but local brands are beginning to change the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3086721/malaysian-fashion-labels-go-back-basics-t-shirts-made?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3086721/malaysian-fashion-labels-go-back-basics-t-shirts-made?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2020 23:45:08 +0000 Kuala Lumpur-based creative Ching Ng is the founder of cosy sewing studio Maker’s Habitat, which offers sewing classes and courses to adults and children. At Maker’s Habitat, you can sign up to sew anything from a simple tote or take an advanced course in dressmaking. But recent global events have caused Ng to turn her sewing machine to a different cause – sewing fabric masks, and showing others how to do it, too. “My colleague shared a Facebook post with me about fabric masks with filter... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3077502/short-masks-sew-your-own-malaysian-youtube-lesson-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3077502/short-masks-sew-your-own-malaysian-youtube-lesson-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2020 04:16:20 +0000 Emma Chong Johnston Emma Chong Johnston “Thanks, it’s vintage,” may prompt squeals of delight and intakes of breath elsewhere in the world, but in Malaysia, that’s not always been the case. Until recently, the country’s relatively young economy has been obsessed with the “new new”, international labels and logomania. Now there’s been a mini-earthquake thanks to Instagram. The image-sharing platform has been widely credited all over the world for a certain democratising of fashion, showing luxury brands next to high-street labels, and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3040160/vintage-fashion-and-instagram-how-malaysia-app-has-changed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3040160/vintage-fashion-and-instagram-how-malaysia-app-has-changed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Dec 2019 00:15:10 +0000 Somewhere along the line, dressing for fun became an outdated notion. These days we have dressing to impress, dressing for success, dressing for Instagram – but social metrics and instant feedback mean that you’re that much less likely to dress for yourself, just because. Yet the style stars who make it big on Instagram are those who dress first and foremost for themselves, not caring about curating their feed or keeping to a consistent colour palette. Haida Yusof-Yeomans, Malaysian stylist and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3031277/cher-and-rihanna-her-mood-board-yuna-her-muse-malaysian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3031277/cher-and-rihanna-her-mood-board-yuna-her-muse-malaysian?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Oct 2019 04:30:11 +0000 Across the globe, fashion consumers are turning more and more to the artisanal. While big luxury brands will always hold sway, the labels holding court on the street and social media are small and independently run – their clothes locally crafted, ethically sourced, mindfully made. This trend manifests itself in different ways depending on the market. In Malaysia, it has motivated a return to traditional textiles and techniques. Batik as a textile technique – using wax to create intricate... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3022090/modern-batik-malaysian-fashion-designers-simple-wearable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3022090/modern-batik-malaysian-fashion-designers-simple-wearable?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Aug 2019 00:15:10 +0000 When former investment banker Sasibai Kimis first started selling bags woven by Southeast Asian artisans in 2013, there was a lot of work to be done. First, there were the bags themselves – Kimis, whose vision was to create a regional ethical and sustainable brand, would travel to villages in Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and India, meeting with makers and artisans. She would discuss their work with them, get them on board and then ferry the products back to her base in Kuala... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3017437/sustainable-fashion-brand-trying-make-ethical-fashion-cool?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3017437/sustainable-fashion-brand-trying-make-ethical-fashion-cool?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jul 2019 05:00:09 +0000 Modesty, a term previously and unflatteringly associated with buttoned-up garments of eras past, is having its moment at the forefront of fashion. After decades of a hypersexualised norm, producers and consumers the world over are looking to more relaxed styles that place a different emphasis on the body, and show the myriad ways women across the world dress. In this context, modesty can mean a range of things. For some, it’s about covering skin; for others it’s about draping gently over curves... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3008685/modest-fashion-brands-modern-take-womens-wear-its-style?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3008685/modest-fashion-brands-modern-take-womens-wear-its-style?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 May 2019 07:15:09 +0000 Much has been made of the “self-care movement” over the last few years. What started as a gentle invocation to light a few scented candles and run yourself a bath has turned into a multidisciplinary industry spanning everything from yoga classes and meditation apps to watercolour workshops, nutritional supplements and energy-giving crystals. But at the core of self-care are the things you do for yourself, and only for yourself – without the expectation that they will be seen on Instagram Stories... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3003614/luxury-pyjamas-and-loungewear-taking-good-sleep-becomes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3003614/luxury-pyjamas-and-loungewear-taking-good-sleep-becomes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Mar 2019 23:30:08 +0000