This year’s fashion design competition using waste paper, amidst the various restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, still received favourable responses with more than a hundred entries from all over Malaysia, says Dato Mohd Zain Hassan, Chief Executive Officer of Alam Flora Sdn Bhd.
“This clearly shows creativity knows no boundaries, while acceptance of the recycling culture is growing stronger especially with the younger generation,” he says.
Alam Flora has taken a proactive stance in continuing its efforts in cultivating the 3R practices (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) with the community through its iconic annual fashion design competition, entitled WASTE IS AMAZING, using recyclable materials.
The champion of the competition, Nor Farizan Jawahir from Institute Kemahiran Belia Negara in Pertak, took home RM1,000 in cash, 10 thousand Petronas Mesra reward points, a special edition Alam Flora tiffin and an e-certificate of participation. While the second winner, Muhammad Danish Saiful Rizal from Management Science Universiti (MSU) received RM800 in cash, 5 thousand Petronas Mesra reward points, Alam Flora special edition tiffin and e-certificate. Best Social Media Award went to Tieya Tailerra from UiTM Shah Alam, who garnered 1.8k likes, 280 shares, and 10.3k views.
Nor Farizan’s winning design was inspired by 17th century Baroque style, which is characteristic of intricate lace and embroidery patterns. Using paper from old magazines and used paper plates, she crafted a dress which displays nature motifs in the shape of stylised leaves to relate to the nature and sustainability theme. She explains that she applied an ‘applique’ technique for the detailing at the top and bottom pieces of her design.
A former fashion design student and now textile lecturer at the Institute in Pertak, Nor Farizan says she wanted to join the competition to raise her own spirits and motivate her students who have had to deal with a drop in morale due to interruptions to their college term due to the pandemic and movement controls.
Entering its 9th year, with the theme PAPER COUTURE, this year’s competition saw 20 amateur designers from various backgrounds pitting their unconventional and recycled designs virtually, due to the Movement Control Order (MCO) requirements, for the second year.
“The selection of paper as the main material in this year’s fashion design is indeed appropriate, as a study done by the National Solid Waste Management Department (JPSPN) showed that paper is the third largest contributor of waste in the country, after food waste and plastic.”
“It also augurs well with the government’s aspiration to reduce 40% of recyclable waste from being sent to landfills by 2025. To help achieve this, Alam Flora has intensified its efforts of going beyond waste management by helping to cultivate a recycling culture among Malaysians, and ‘Waste is Amazing’ is one of our initiatives. So, we can now look at waste from a positive perspective,” said Dato Mohd Zain.
The hour-long colourful and exciting virtual event, saw the judges, which include renowned designer Hatta Dolmat and singer, Sissy Iman, having a great yet tough time in selecting the winners based on the criteria set by Alam Flora. The competition was broadcast live on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram Alam Flora, and was seen by netizens across Malaysia and around the world where the issue of distance and border-crossings are no longer an obstacle.
