Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation

Tuesday, March 19th, 2016, Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) announced today that its signature event INTRADE 2016 featuring Malaysia Fashion Week (MFW) is set to take centre stage from 2 to 5 November 2016 at Menara MATRADE.

Organised by MATRADE and STYLO International, the third edition of the event is set to host hundreds of local players in the fashion and lifestyle industry as well as buyers from around the world. The highly anticipated B2B fashion event will be showcasing a dedicated fashion and lifestyle exhibition (INTRADE) interspersed with fashion shows and gala events (MFW).

This was announced at the official media launch for the event held at Menara MATRADE attended by organisers, partners and sponsors including CEO of MATRADE & Chairman of MFW , Dato’ Dzulkifli Mahmud; President & CEO of STYLO International and Co-Chairman of MFW 2016, Datuk Nancy Yeoh; Professor Datuk Dr. Jimmy Choo OBE, Honorary Advisor of MFW 2016; Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Malaysia, Mark Raine; CEO of Elite Expo Sdn Bhd, Johnson Lim and CEO of The Hot Shoe Show and Co., Mark Lee.

The launch marks the opening of registration for local companies supplying fashion, accessories, footwear, cosmetics, textile and other lifestyle related products to participate in this annual event. In its 2015’s edition, over 200 fashion buyers from countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, UAE, Philippines, Thailand and India as well as visitors from over 50 countries attended the event. This year, the event targets to have 300 exhibition booths to fill a space spanning over 10,000 square metres, making it the largest fashion event in the country.

“We urge local players to take up this opportunity and secure a spot as exhibitors at the event as soon as they can. Participants can expect to meet global buyers and they also get to partake in our signature one-on-one business matching programme called International Sourcing Programme (INSP), apart from learning from other local and overseas players,” Dato’ Dzulkifli mentioned.

Since 2014, INTRADE featuring MFW has been making headlines and is focused on boosting the Malaysian fashion and lifestyle industry. The event is an initiative to provide a marketing platform to present local fashion brands to international buyers, whilst aspiring to elevate Malaysia’s status as a major fashion hub in ASEAN and beyond.

According to Dato’ Dzulkifli, “INTRADE featuring MFW aims to forge sustainable and profitable business partnerships among players within the industry. As a growing fashion trade hub, the event will connect trade buyers, exhibitors and designers from around the region and the rest of the world to source for, and showcase, their latest trends.”

“Malaysian fashion industry has a lot to offer to the world but we need a strong marketing strategy to ensure Malaysia gets noticed by the world. MATRADE and STYLO International collaboration embodies a strategic public-private partnership and such inter-dependence is crucial in ensuring we are able to push this sector globally. Ultimately, with consistent efforts, we will be able to have a strong foothold around the world,” he added.

In 2015, Malaysia's exports of lifestyle products rose 12 per cent to reach RM31.36 billion as compared to RM28 billion in 2014. Exports were mainly to the USA, Japan, China, Singapore, Turkey, Indonesia, India and Thailand. The main industries categorised under the lifestyle sector include textiles, apparels and footwear, furniture, jewelry, cosmetics and toiletries.

Last year, INTRADE featuring MFW recorded RM126.52 million in sales transactions, a 40% increase from 2014 and a total of 1,541 business matching meetings between local companies and international buyers were arranged. There were also 22 fashion shows with the participation of 103 fashion designers from over 14 countries organised, thanks to the event’s partners -- the Malaysian Fashion Showcase and Mercedes-Benz STYLO Asia Fashion Week.

“Today, up-and-coming young Asian designers are creating waves in the global fashion industry. The likes of Motogoa which was recently signed on by the LVMH group and Yii who now has presence in London has proven that fashion week platforms like MFW have successfully open the doors for the young and talented to be discovered by industry’s key players from the East and West,” said Dato’ Nancy Yeoh.

“Come November, the event will be the ultimate fashion expo that offers a golden opportunity for professional buyers and consumers alike to source for the best Malaysian and ASEAN designs for their Spring/Summer 2017 collection,” added Yeoh.

This year, INTRADE featuring MFW will be themed as MODESTYLE (muslimwear) and Inclusivity – a continuation from last year’s theme. The theme was adopted to give a strong emphasis on Malaysia’s diverse culture that is made up of various races namely Malay, Chinese, Indian, Peranakan and the ethnics from Sabah and Sarawak, among others.

“The design elements derived from the many cultures in Malaysia can be a strong selling point for local companies as foreign buyers are always on the look-out for the next unique thing for them to capitalise on. This is why we’ve decided to keep on reinforcing this message to our stakeholders,” said Dato’ Dzulkilfli.

Another continuing key component of this fashion event will be a dedicated Muslimah fashion pavilion titled MODESTYLE which brings together a large collection of Muslimah fashion by designers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Middle East and others.

To further promote the MODESTYLE Pavilion, the organiser has forged a partnership with Modestyle Malaysia (www.modestyle.my) as the event’s official e-Commerce partner for the MODESTYLE Pavilion. The e-Commerce retail platform is a B2C and B2B site dedicated for Malaysian and international Muslimah fashion brands. All Muslimah designers participating in the event will be showcased and marketed digitally on Modestyle.my.

Apart from being a retail platform, the website also features Muslimah fashion news and styling videos from around the world – a result of their partnership with various international fashion associations. Currently, Modestyle.my will focus on the ASEAN market and will soon be launched in Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei.

At today’s launch, the new members of the Malaysia Fashion Week Fashion Council for 2016 were also announce. The new members include Mahani Awang, President of the Bumiputera Designers’ Association (MODESTYLE); and award-winning fashion designers, Edric Ong (Inclusivity); Fairuz Ramdan (Youth) and Bon Zainal (Men’s Fashion).

To register as an exhibitor at INTRADE featuring Malaysia Fashion Week, visit www.malaysiafashionweek.my or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Applications are open until end of August 2016.