Following the opening of Chapter Next on 1 October, the festival’s second chapter pairs 10 young fashion designers with 10 FIOLE hair artists in a showcase of mentorship, talent and craft
KUALA LUMPUR, 07 OCTOBER 2026 – The Malaysia Official Designers Association (MODA) brought its month-long FASHION IN MOTION festival to Pavilion Bukit Jalil with Next Wave, a showcase built to empower the next generation of Malaysian fashion talent.
FASHION IN MOTION officially kicked off on 1 October, as MODA launched its month-long fashion festival across three Pavilion malls. Held with Pavilion, the festival brings Malaysian fashion, culture and creative talent into public spaces, with runway shows, a young designer competition, community initiatives, a lifestyle market and a finale showcase.
Chapter Next, held on 1 October at Pavilion Damansara Heights, paired denim’s raw, contemporary edge with the rich heritage and artistry of traditional songket.
It opened at Pavilion Damansara Heights with Chapter Next, a runway showcases by 29 MODA designers, each asked to pair denim, a durable everyday material, with the delicate craft of Songket. The contrast pushed designers to test creative boundaries, resulting in a range of distinct looks that proved Malaysian fashion can honour heritage while still moving forward.
Next Wave marks the second chapter of the celebration, and one that holds particular meaning for MODA.
From Left to Right: Kit Lee, Education Manager of R Beauté Sdn Bhd; Eddy Chan, Education Manager of R Beauté Sdn Bhd; Cyrus Chin, President of MODA; Roy Kow, Managing Director and CEO of R Beauté Sdn Bhd; YBM Adjunct Prof. Dato Sri Raja Rezza Shah; Carrie Lam, Managing Director of SUB International Beauty School; and William KC, Editor at Large at Prestige Malaysia alongside with the finalists.
“The idea for Next Wave started last year at our Elevation event, where we gave design students a platform on our stage,” said Cyrus Chin, President of MODA. “We saw so much raw talent that this year, we wanted to go bigger, connecting young designers with our experienced MODA mentors.”
From nationwide submissions, MODA narrowed the field to a Top 30, then a Top 20, with each finalist paired with a MODA mentor including Ariff Shukor, Ellie Lim, Fairuz Ramdan, Jimmy Wong and Justin Yap, who guided them in turning their ideas into tonight’s presentations.
That mentorship fed into a bigger collaboration, pairing fashion with another art form. “It is about bringing fashion design and hair artistry together, two art forms that go hand in hand on the runway,” said Chin. The Top 10 young fashion finalists were paired with the Top 10 FIOLE hair artists, each duo creating one look that combined fashion design, hair styling and complete storytelling. “The result speaks for itself, and I am truly proud of the outcome,” he added.
From Left to Right: Adrian Cheah, Marketing General Manager of Pavilion Bukit Jalil; Cyrus Chin, President of MODA; and Roy Kow, Managing Director and CEO of R Beauté Sdn Bhd, with the NEXT WAVE Champion, Dinna Loh and Best Overall Look, Pei Yi.
TWO PANELS, ONE VISION
From Left to Right (MODA Judging Panelists): Zaihani Mohd Zain, Fashion Stylist and Advisor; Andrea Wong, Fashion Stylist; Leslie Variyan, Creative Director of Variente; Gillian Hung, Fashion Icon and Albert Nico, Hairstylist and Founder of Albert Nico Boutique Salon.
Next Wave was guided by two judging panels, a fashion panel of industry professionals alongside MODA members, and a hair artistry panel whose expertise pushed each finalist to bring out the best of their craft. As a two-part collaboration, the prizes reflected that structure whereby MODA awarded cash prizes, internships and memberships to the fashion students, while R Beauté awarded professional products and recognition to the hairstylists.
A PLATFORM FOR THE WHOLE CREATIVE COMMUNITY
FASHION IN MOTION is guided by MODA’s three core pillars of Elevate. Evolve. Empower. These shape MODA’s commitment to help designers develop their craft, respond to a changing industry and grow with the wider fashion community.
An exemplary pairing of hair artistry and fashion design, coming together as one total look.
“Fashion is not only a finished garment or a moment on the runway,” said Chin. “It is part of a wider creative ecosystem, shaped by designers, textile makers, artisans, stylists, hair and makeup artists, photographers, producers, retailers and audiences. When these individuals come together, we create more than a fashion show. We open pathways for talent discovery, build links across industries, and help creative businesses grow.”
By placing local fashion in public and retail spaces, the festival turns this vision into a lived experience, giving designers a stage, creative businesses a direct line to consumers, and the public a closer way to discover Malaysian fashion, culture and creativity.
A MONTH OF FASHION AND CULTURE
Following Next Wave, the FASHION IN MOTION lineup continues across the three Pavilion malls. On 10 October, Unstoppable Pink supports the Pink Unity ladies under the National Cancer Society Malaysia, with a public walk from Pavilion Damansara Heights, by MRT through Bukit Bintang, to Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, alongside a Charity Hair Cut supported by R Beauté. Throughout October, Maria Nila, one of R Beauté’s brands, offers special pink umbrellas across the Pavilion malls in exchange for donations, with part of the proceeds going to the Pink Unity Foundation.
Reimagined Saree Runway follows on 22 October at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, as part of the Deepavali season. Inspired by the saree’s colour, detail and cultural significance, the showcase features 25 designers, including five young talents.
From 23 to 25 October, the Style Your Way Lifestyle Market takes over Pavilion Bukit Jalil, with more than 50 booths bringing together fashion, food and music, giving designers, vendors and creative businesses a direct platform to meet the public. The festival closes with the Finale Party at The Arena, Pavilion Damansara Heights, bringing together the designers, partners, creatives and communities behind FASHION IN MOTION.
PARTNERS AND SPONSORS
MODA thanked Pavilion for its collaboration and for providing the platform across its three destinations, and FIOLE and R Beauté for their partnership on Next Wave. The association also acknowledged Shu Uemura and MONTIBELLO for hair and makeup support, La Boca for food and beverages, Instax Fujifilm for capturing the festival, Bravo Events for production support, and Click Click Studios for photo and video production, with Swissaire’s support during the Chapter Next event rounding out the list of partners.
MODA also thanked all partners, sponsors, designers, creatives, industry friends and behind-the-scenes teams who helped bring the festival together.
FASHION IN MOTION continues at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Pavilion Damansara Heights and Pavilion Bukit Jalil, inviting the public to discover Malaysian fashion, support local talent and take part in the creative community.
For programme schedules, mall activation details and updates, follow MODA Malaysia on @modamalaysia
