We tasked six Malaysian designers to interview each other, on anything they’ve ever wanted to know about their peers.

Shot on location at Syomir’s Showroom. Photography by Aiman Yazid. Text by Abdul Aziz Draim.

In Conversation with Syomir Izwa Gupta and Ezzati Amira.

I knew that the moment I paired designers Syomir Izwa Gupta with Ezzati Amira, that chaos would ensue. The good kind. Friends in real life, though coming from two separate generations of designers, both Syomir and Ezzati are bright, expressive personalities whose passion for fashion is palpable.

Ezzati was especially taken by the task we assigned to her, using the opportunity to get to know more about her friend on a professional level. Syomir, on the other hand, is the cheekier interviewer, with questions that explored Ezzati’s more personal side. But together they share insights on the evolution of the Malaysian fashion scene, the search for their respective brand identities and the people they find intimidating. Be ready for a wild ride.

Ezzati Amira to Syomir Izwa Gupta.

Ezzati Amira (EA): What were your first steps towards working and creating your own brand? Did you study fashion?

Syomir Izwa Gupta (SG): Yes, I went through the proper channels. During my time, parents usually want their children to become doctors, but my parents happened to be the ones that said, “You need to choose something that you like so you won’t feel tired of your work.” So they encouraged me to become a designer although I didn’t even know I wanted to be a designer.

EA: When did it spark then?
SG: I loved to draw Disney princesses (laughs). I was just a big fan of Disney, and I was very good at copying. After a while, you can see the Cinderella sleeve that I did, and then she will wear something asymmetrical. And Snow White’s long yellow dress became a short yellow dress…and my mum saw that. I thought I wanted to be an animator for Disney but she said, “Maybe you don’t want to be an animator. You want to be a fashion designer.” I didn’t know what that was until she explained it to me. That all happened when I was 11 years old.

And I was always encouraged to not to be embarrassed with my choices. I went to a school filled with police kids and army kids. So in the classroom, when the teacher asked what we want to be when we grow up, I was the only one who said I wanted to be a fashion designer. So the whole school knew how much I wanted to be a fashion designer. And it’s very important for schools to also pay notice because this is where the teachers, the counsellors, can offer the right channel for you to be encouraged to move forward, children need to know that.

Because when I was in Form 3, the counsellor came to see me, and advised that  since I wanted to be a fashion designer, I wouldn’t need to continue Form 4 and Form 5. At that time, the government had just introduced fashion, make-up and childcare as vocational options.So I took the vocational route instead, before going to LaSalle International Design School, now known as Raffles, to study fashion in late 1994.

EA: I’ve known you for some time, but when I first started in the fashion, I had always looked up to you and the other senior brands, because I feel it’s not easy to sustain your brand in this industry. So for you to tell me all this, means that you’re still passionate about doing it, which is amazing. So I’m curious, how did you start the label? Because for me, when I first started, I was contemplating, should I use my real name or should I use a different brand name?

SQ: After my mum opened the door to fashion, I started buying fashion magazines like Vogue and Harper’s BAZAAR when I was 14. So my exposure to the fashion world started at an early age and at the same time I was aware with the local scene.

We had Tom Abang Saufi, Butik Layang Layang…and the introduction of boutique culture with names like D’Collection, D’Fashion… but when you see all the western fashion brands, they all used their own names. So that’s always been instilled in my heart. Though growing up in an army school, my name was always a source of ridicule. But I liked the sound of my name, so I thought if I ever wanted to create my own label, I will use my actual name.

EA: So how long have you been doing this in the industry?

SG: Last year was my 21st year—I started in 2002 as an actual business. I didn’t start with fashion week. I started with dressing celebrities.

The pioneer designers then who were doing what we are doing now, were just Edmund Ser and Sonny San. But Edmund Ser was more corporate wear. Sonny San was proper ready-to-wear. He didn’t do custom-made. Then we had Tom Abang Saufi who did both. Bernard Chandran was also making headlines. Being half-Indian, I was inspired by him. If you see me mixing materials, I owe that to Bernard Chandran because he has no hirarchy when it comes to fabrics. He’d mix polyester wth batik, with lace, so I leant that from observing him. Then Rizalman happened in the mid-2000s. I think my eye-opener moment with Rizalman was the Ziana Zain emerald green wedding dress that was telecast live on TV.

EA: When did you start Fashion Week?

SG: I did my first Fashion Week in 2009.

EA: So 7 years prior to that, you were just doing private collections?

SG: From 2002 to 2009, it was more individual-based. This was an era when we didn’t have any H&M or Topshop. Fashion was either very high-end in Starhill or you go to Sungei Wang. I was very lucky to have a group of friends who loved fashion who didn’t want to spend so much by going to Singapore or Hong Kong. So they came to me. I actually started with cocktail dresses. And these friends would then grow up and get engaged and eventually asked me to design their engagement dresses too. So that’s also how I eventually ventured into bridal. To this day, I enjoy making a collection as much as I enjoy making individual designs.

EA: What are your thoughts about the fashion evolution in Malaysia? Do you feel people still supported the local industry then, compared to now?

SG: I think there’s a pattern. Because when I started, consumers would support international names, but they were very, very selective when it came to local designers. You had to be a Tom, a Rizalman, or a Sharifah Kirana. But after KL Fashion Week 2013 or 2014, there’s been this awareness to make something local cool. If you want to be cooler than you were before, you’d wear something by a local designer that noone has heard of before but the aesthetic is amazing. I think that started happening in 2014.

That was also influenced by the emergence of BAZAAR and GLAM in the early 2000s. Suddenly there was this consciousness of wearing the right bag and the right look. And stylish Malaysian women were celebrated. So it was the merging of that consciousness and the awareness of international aesthetics then adapting that to a local point of view. I think all that happened in the mid-2000s. Because I saw friends who didn’t even wear local stuff before, now starting to buy local.

Another thing, when I learned fashion, I always thought we were just people behind the stage. I didn’t learn stage presence or how to make films. So that part for me is something I still have trouble with. I won’t do the IG story thing. Because for me, let the art speak for itself. But also I understand where the direction of the world is now. People need a face to the brand, and all this appreciation for a backstory. So the product becomes another dimension once the owner talks about it. I get it. But I also believe that with all the information that we get at this day and age, why do we need to explain more than before, when we have all the information already?

EA: Do you think it’s important for us to learn about fashion? I know a lot of people these days want to be an entrepreneur and they think that they can do fashion design. But they don’t come from a fashion design background. How do you feel about that?

SQ: For me in whatever you want to venture into, you need to be respectful with the art form that you’re going to be involved in. Get to know the history, why certain things are the way they are. Why the cuff or collar is a certain way… if you say you love fashion,  prove it to me, know everything about fashion. Fashion is not only on the surface. Fashion is also a voice for each era, each movement. It’s also part of human evolution to move forward and become modern. They need to know that fashion is not just about how you look.

Even being in the industry, I feel I still don’t know enough. So if you want to try this business, be brave but also be knowledgeable of what you’re going to jump into.

EA: I agree with that because I do feel it’s important to know basic knowledge in fashion. If you don’t know how to do the drafting and the draping and all… the technique-wise is important.

SG: Because you don’t want your customer to know more technical stuff than you.

EA: Because customers are so knowledgeable now.

SG: And it’s good that they know more, but you don’t want to look stupid in front of your clients.

EA: So what are your goals in the next five years?

SG: I used to have that every five years. But the pandemic changed everything. As part of me protecting my mental state and my emotional feelings and all that, I just stopped planning for the next five years, to be honest with you. But how do we not plan the five-year projection and still have a structured business? So I took a step back. Now, we make it as relaxed as possible, but with a limit. So we plan every two years ahead.

But in general, I would love to have more presence outside Malaysia. Now, it’s no more about making a statement like before. It’s more about making my work as part of people’s everyday life stories. I want them to have a relationship with my clothes, not only for certain occasions. The feeling of them growing with my clothes and knowing why they buy and wear them. Additionally, I would love to have more interaction with the arts because I also believe fashion is also part of art. And to be more interactive with artists, especially female artists.

For people to see fashion not only in clothes. To be involved in history or with society. It would be amazing to be involved with those types of work in the future. Lastly of course, for the world to be more colourful in five years.

EA: Do you have any dreams for pursuing your brand internationally?

SG: Of course everybody wants to have a presence in Paris, but I would say I always have a soft spot for London. Because I love the history with the Sixties, Mary Quant, Twiggy. I already have some presence there but I want to have more. To have some presence in places that I think that I like, like in Spain, for example, or in Mexico. I’d love to visit a lot of places and have something to do with the community there.

Syomir Izwa Gupta to Ezzati Amira.

SG: Okay, my turn. I have a personal connection with people in the industry, so there will always be some quirk or behavior that connect me with someone. For example, Nurita Harith is always quiet. Alia Bastamam is always sexy…but I always find you constantly chaotic. You’re always anxious and excited, or it could be a combination of both. So I want to know what calms you, what makes you relax?

EA: Honest, honest answer? CBD oil. (both laugh) I know that I can be chaotic, and I do have a lot of insecurities as well. And I easily feel guilty, I always apologise for everything because I have high expectations on myself and my work. But as I grow older, I start to become wiser. And honestly, the CBD oil helps. I’ve only started taking it recently.

Before this, I noticed that when I’m in a very anxious situation, I would have to take a breather. Take a nap for a while or maybe listen to music. I have to try and stay positive, stop the self-blaming. So I self-motivate myself, I pause, then refresh and start again. Of course, praying does help as well.

SG: How about colours? Do you get calm when you see something colourful?

EA: Okay, I’m really into Bollywood. I love colours so much and I love Shah Rukh Khan. What calms me down is listening to Bollywood music and songs. Not many people know about this.

As a designer, sometimes people question my colourful designs because they think it’s not really me because I normally wear things that are black, and edgy, and a bit more minimal. But how do you know what is me?

When I first started my brand, I didn’t really realise that as a designer. Because I was still experimenting and trying to find my DNA and aesthetics. So when I design in my early days, I was thinking more of the practicality and saleability of my designs. I used a lot of different materials and textures, and colours. But I do know that deep down, my personality and my character is actually very bubbly and hyper and soft.

So that’s why my collection then become very colourful and floral, and I’m into plants. And I love Bollywood music and films so much. So I guess that kind of translates into the collection. Why it’s actually those kind of bold colours that resonate with me as a creative person.

SG: I always notice that you play a lot with flowers, but the positioning is different. It’s…

EA: It still has an edginess to it.

SG: Yes, It’s bold, it’s not sweet or timid. So now I understand why, it’s a combination of two different worlds as well.

EA: Yes, it is a combination. In terms of the creative form, I feel that’s how I actually express my art. I first started the brand in 2013. And recently I started to feel I want to give it more me. It’s not that I’m becoming a rebel designer or anything. But I want to give it more me because when I first started, I was designing more of fifty percent of what the market wants and the other fifty percent I would insert the highlight pieces of the things that I like. Because I wanted the brand to sustain and sell first.

But now I’ve become more mature with the brand and the brand also has evolved organically. So I slowly start to insert more of the things that I would wear into my collection. Maybe before, I wouldn’t really wear all of those floral designs I made. It’s not that I didn’t love the designs, because I did, but it was how I wanted the Ezzati Amira girl to look like. It had the feminine touch but also a masculine touch, a kind of androgynous feel with the collection.

So now, the prints and the colours are still bold—not pastels, I’m not really into pastel…

SG: Oh, f*ck pastels! (both laugh)

SG: So you mentioned the Ezzati Amira girl. Has it always been the same person or has she changed?

EA: Somehow I feel she has changed but it’s still me. The brand has evolved and is slowly becoming me. Compared to before, it was more of my alter ego, or my imagination for the Ezzati Amira girl.

Now it’s more of designing what I myself would want to wear too and how I would want to see the Ezzati Amira girl wearing what I would want them to wear. Am I making sense? Is that too complex?

SG: No, it’s pretty clear. I think as a designer, we have this persona…

EA: Do you feel that way too?

SG: Oh ya.

EA: Because I have a lot of favourite designers. I mean, I like Jil Sander but at the same time I can also love Dries Van Noten, for example.

SG: For me, I really wanted to be like Gianni Versace, but at the same time I was drawn to something more classical, like Carolina Herrera. Then when I started fashion college I started to appreciate things that at first I didn’t like. Like Chanel, YSL—I thought they were so “aunty”. But after learning about their history, I started to appreciate them better. Then Galliano came to the scene, and Alexander McQueen. So it took me a while to find a combination of what I liked…

EA: So that’s normal? Because when I first started, I had this dilemma as a designer, finding my aesthetics, you know what I mean? I only discovered my true aesthetics recently, after eight to ten years in the business.

SG: So talking about when you started and all that, do you have anyone that you were intimidated by in the industry that has become a good buddy to you now?

EA: Okay, intimidated in a positive way, I would say Joe Chia. Not that I was scared of him, because we were friends…

SG: Okay, I mean intimidated in the sense that there is a sense of fear, but then you became friends.

EA: Oh. You then. (both laugh) Syomir was such a bitch before!

SG: Was I a bitch? People say I’m arrogant if they don’t know me…

EA: I’m just kidding! You were never a bitch. But who are you intimidated by?

SG: Kak Zai! (Zaihani Mohd. Zain, fashion critic extraordinaire). I was so afraid of her, but now we’re like an aunt and her nephew.

EA: Oh, I was intimidated by her too.

SG: But she is the sweetest person. And Jiman (Casablancas) too. I was so intimidated by him.

EA: Jiman is the realest person you’ll ever meet. Then, for me it was Chelek (Raja Malek, artist, stylist and renowned set designer). I was so intimidated by him. But in terms of fashion branding, I would say Joe Chia. One thing I respect is that he is a designer that knew his DNA from the start, and he sticks to that aesthetic. And I know that when he started out, he told me that he was lucky because during that era, people were wearing Rick Owens and Alexander Wang, the all-black look. But slowly as fashion evolved and the world started to become more colourful, he still stuck to his aesthetics. Although I see that he has inserted some texture and different colours into his designs, they still have that Joe Chia signature. Which I feel is really amazing for what he’s doing internationally and locally as well.

SG: So talking about people who intimidate you, now moving to something more personal. What turn you on in a guy?

EA: (both laugh) What turns me on? Okay, the man who turns me on, I feel the first thing that I need from him is kindness and patience. And I need him to be calm as well. I can’t be with a chaotic person because I know I’m very chaotic and can be so anxious. So I need to be with someone who is the opposite of me. It’s like a yin and yang.

The second quality is that, as much as I’m a dominant woman, he also needs to be a leader. So that he can guide me, we can have deep communication and deep connection emotionally, mentally and spiritually as well. Because I feel like communication is very important.

SG: What about his sense of style, what would turn you on?

EA: I love fashion but I can’t be with someone who is very fashionable. I can’t. Because I’ve been with someone like that and he took longer to get ready than I did. So I prefer someone more low-key, humble but he appreciates the arts as well. His taste in music is very important. There has to be a connection. I mean, I can’t be with someone who listens to Taylor Swift every day. (laughs)

SG: What makes you wake up at 3 a .m. in the morning?

EA: I notice that when I wake up randomly at three in the morning, I sometimes have random ideas, so I will start to sketch, just rough sketches. But it also means I’m not sleeping well.

However, after the pandemic, I seem to be sleeping better and don’t wake up in the middle of the night anymore.

SG: So in your work process, presenting a collection, which part of it do you hate most?

EA: The sketching, moodboard, inspiration, and then the draping, drafting, and the samples, the sewing— somehow I love the stressful workload. But once I execute the design, the worst part is the feeling of… will this design sale or not? The marketing after that, because I’m not really a marketing person.

So it’s about whether this design will sell, and then when it comes out in the magazine or the campaign, getting feedback from the clients and the customers… it’s a stressful period but it’s what I value the most because it’s not a bad thing. In a way it will make me want to do better with the next season.

SG: Who were your designer idols?

EA: I love Bernard Chandran. I love his work, I feel he’s also staying true to his DNA. Actually, Bernard Chandran, I was also intimidated by him. Maybe not so much intimidated but more starstruck. But when you meet him he is the nicest person. And he is so handsome!