Unless you’ve been living under a proverbial rock or have made a point of steering clear of social newsfeeds and paper headlines, you’re likely to be aware of the recent debacle surrounding Malaysia’s Olympic Committee and the unveiling of our country’s official kit for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Events of such a nature typically carry a monumental amount of weight on their shoulders, as any seasoned PR practitioner or events organiser worth their salt will be able to readily to attest to. After all, the Summer Olympics constitute one of the most eminent sporting arenas in history, which will see the best and brightest of every participating nation putting their best foot forward clad in their proverbial Sunday best, hoping to take home a podium finish.
First impressions, in this case, matter. The gloss, grandeur, and pageantry of a full-blown, well-timed and precisely executed spectacle is not just recommended, it is expected.
The launch of the official kits for the Malaysian contingent ahead of the Paris Olympics falls on a flat note
Yet, reality didn’t quite pan out that way. In fact, it was a far cry from any suggestion of pizzaz despite what had appeared to be a well-stocked three-day weekend itinerary held at the country’s premiere retail address, The Exchange TRX. Family-friendly, par-for-the-course workshops and activities aside, the crowning affair eventually devolved into a lukewarm disappointment of shocking proportions.
On June 23rd 2024 under the heat of a sun-kissed equatorial afternoon, Olympic Council of Malaysia president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria was joined by global squash luminary and Deputy Chef de Mission to Paris 2024 Datuk Nicol Ann David, to debut the Malaysian contingent’s official kit. Created in partnership with Yonex Sunrise, this marks the latest product from their 4-year-long collaboration that first took root during the 31st Vietnam SEA Games back in 2021.
Forget artful campaign teaser videos, special lighting effects, or even the presence of professional runway models; instead, attendees waited on short-lived bated breath as three mannequins that appeared to be sourced from a garment kiosk in Petaling Street stood awkwardly, wrapped in black to conceal the obvious.
Suspend builds with music and on cue, Zakaria and David both reeled away the sheets of fabric tarp, providing some modicum of missing melodrama to present the collection: a loosely-fitted tracksuit set, a v-neck shirt, and a polo tee, all paired with Pendidikan Jasmani-approved track bottoms and sneakers.
According to the official press statement, the chosen design was meant to incorporate elements from Malaysia’s most ferocious apex predator, the Harimau Malaya (Malayan Tiger), as indicated by the gold-and-black colourway as well as the striped motif that adorns the sides of both shirts. Ostensibly, this was a nod ‘to reflect Malaysia’s relentless and ferocious pursuit of the elusive gold medal at the Olympics.’
That failed to adequately translate into the final product, as both relentlessness and ferocity appeared to have been neutered. Reactions to the garb have been abysmal, with Malaysians panning the Paris Olympics kit designs as ‘uninspired’, ‘dull’, and even downright ugly. Similarly, how it was presented to the public came under the same critical scrutiny, exacerbated by members of the plastic John and Jane Doe family in attendance on stage with their thousand-yard stares and askew wigs.
While Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports, YB Hannah Yeoh, has vowed that the now infamous kit will not be used for the upcoming Olympic Games, Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria took a different perspective. Despite acknowledging criticism, he opined that there was fundamentally nothing wrong with how the uniforms were designed and argued that ‘There is no point having nice attire but not winning gold’.
However, are aesthetics really inconsequential during a renowned international event beloved not just for its display of athleticism and sporting vigour, but for its elaborate stage productions as well? Especially when one considers how Taiwan’s Olympic kit, which was also developed by Yonex, appears to be leagues ahead in both presentation and design.
Malaysian arts: sidelined and overlooked?
Or is this simply the same old tired rhetoric that the Malaysian arts and culture community have long been on the receiving end of? Like how ‘practical’ parents chide their children for maintaining perfunctory and trivial creative pursuits, Malaysian artists are well-accustomed to being relegated to the sidelines.
For one, only RM160 million from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture’s RM1.1 billion allocation in Budget 2024 will go towards the implementation of initiatives for the benefit of the local arts and creative industry. That’s 14.5% for an industry that has historically been underfunded and operated with contributions scrimped where they can be afforded, hobbled by populist but desultory federal initiatives.
Beyond monetary constraints, it is ultimately the dismissive attitudes that Malaysian policymakers maintain when regarding the arts and culture sector that have ultimately stymied the industry in its entirety. And we aren’t hurting for talents in this field, by the way.
If the likes of Rizman Ruzaini designing for Grammy-Award-winning pop diva Lady Gaga and supermodel immortal Naomi Campbell are any indication, Malaysian creative talents put the adage ‘where there is a will, there is a way’ into practice. Campbell’s involvement, for one, came with an RM3 million bill footed by the brand.
In return, this very same investment by a private business has bolstered the country’s creative scene by leagues, with Rizman Ruzaini being the first local couture label to be exhibited in the hallowed halls of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
Now imagine what can be achieved if politicos make a point of fully committing to the arts on a federal level; the British Olympic Association tapped Ben Sherman for its kit, while the American Olympic Committee engaged Ralph Lauren to outfit their athletes. So would it be unheard of to have a Malaysian design talent take the reins and demonstrate their expertise in what constitutes a grand display of showmanship on an international stage?
The potential of what could have been
To prove a point, I’ve taken the liberty of speaking to a close friend of mine from within the local fashion scene, Kit Woo, on the matter of proposing an alternative design for the Malaysian Olympic kit. Best known within sartorial circles domestically for his envelope-pushing patternmaking skills as well as his exceptional eye for tailoring and deconstruction, Woo’s work has attracted buyers from hard-hitting fashion capitals including New York, London, Tokyo, and Berlin.
In less than a matter of two days from my initial request, he sent me an email attached with his design proposal: a sleek, fitted tracksuit comprised of three modular components. The first was a jacket with snap-button closures that sported a drawcord hemline that can be adjusted to alter its silhouette.
The second article of clothing was a hijab-friendly zippered parka jacket with an accompanying hooded hijab attachment; the jacket’s shape can once again be altered using drawcords around the midsection, while the hijab can be secured by a drawcord behind the nape of the neck. Finished in contrasting panels of gold that graduate seamlessly into black by the sides to recall the Harimau Malaya inspiration and the country’s ambition for Olympic gold, both looks are complemented by a matching pair of fitted joggers.
To complete the ensemble, the two jackets will carry the nation on their backs in a literal and prominent way, with the national colours of red, white, yellow, and blue intermingling tastefully on a gradient pattern overlaid atop the words ‘MALAYSIA’ in bold.
Speaking on account of the design’s inspiration, he explained how he wanted to focus primarily on both the cut and shape of the garments, which effectively allowed each piece to toe the line between leisure and sporting ambition. “I wanted the looks to be appropriate for both the Opening Ceremony, as well as a quarter-mile sprint,” Woo said.
From considerations for the needs of Muslim athletes to the easily adaptable cuts that blend seamlessly into the settings they happen to find themselves in, Woo’s vision for athletic gear represents much of his brand’s ethos but continues to retain the necessary pragmatism and practicality expected of sportswear.
Yet with another revised uniform introduced by the Malaysian Olympic Committee with no mention of any local designers in sight for the Paris Olympics, it’ll be a wonder if such a likelihood would come to light in the next four years if at all.
Tags
Written by
Benjamin Wong
Senior Editor, Fashion and Dining
Armed with an Advertising major from Lancaster University, Benjamin is a senior editor who has spent his time oscillating between the social media and digital media landscape since 2018. With a keen interest in haute fashion and gastronomy, he has written for publications such as ERROR Digital, WORLD OF BUZZ, and KL Foodie. Beyond the keyboard, you can find him arms-deep in a thrift pile.
