Mercedes-Benz Stylo Asia Fashion Week, a component of Malaysia Fashion Week, which ran from November 5 to 7, alongside Malaysian designers and over 60 designers from 18 Asian countries. Mercedes-Benz Stylo Asia Fashion Week, now in its 10th year, is held annually in Kuala Lumpur dedicated to discovering the next generation of talent from across the region and to promote the Asian fashion industry.

Myanmar young fashion designer Ahlatt Lumyang presented his ALPHA collection at at the show. His collection features 11 complete looks, all of them inspired by traditional acheik and kanok textiles. His designs combine the traditional prints with military style tailoring and fabrics.

The women he design for have an image of brutality, romance and heroism. I have always been intrigued by the irregular – by unconventional beauty, he said. He wanted to create a look for a woman that is both strong and sexy. For this collection he was inspired by kanok textiles and the richness of their colour and structure. Each look is a different part of a dialogue, from the nipple cut-out jacket to the medallion acheik-bomber jacket.

Lumyang’s collection made waves on the catwalk due to his unique navy green colour palette and contemporary use of traditional fabrics.

His designs combine strong, military-style jackets with traditional longyis for which he used a traditional acheik fabric that Myanmar women wear on special occasions.

Lumyang said that the experience gave him an insight into the fashion industry abroad, and the challenges he faces at home. Myanmar fashion designers should have the chance to thrive, both for the fashion business and for their country’s economy as its fashion industry faces huge challenges at every level of the supply chain.

Malaysian Fashion Week has a clear vision for discovering young talent and exposing them to a global market. They strongly believe that fashion transcends the boundaries of a country.