BEAUTY is pain – the high fashion society swears by this philosophy, often leaving no room for creativity to settle in comfort. Challenging this ethos that dictates the bon ton is Skechers × MSYD.
Under the creative direction and styling of fashion stylist Min Luna, in the heart of Suria KLCC, the alliance demonstrated that comfort and high fashion can coexist on the same runway.
Raw, expressive, comfortable
The show began with minimalist pieces – structured and boxy in shades of black and military green, often the colour palette for Malaysian streetwear.
These ready-to-wear pieces, such as the Reglan Sleeve Tee and Long Sleeve Shirt, from the Skechers × MSYD collection, are made for function, comfort and bold expression.
Its clean finish seam and relaxed silhouette are for the fashion-forward renegades who refuse to conform to the uncomfortable standards of high fashion.
They represent subtle, approachable confidence for the trendite who wants to stand out, but also identifies with their troupe.
Masyadi Mansoor, the designer of MSYD, said: “The collaboration gave me the freedom to create something that reflects the spirit of our streets: raw, expressive and always moving.”
The first half of the show is reminisce of the monotonous, minimalist era that we are transitioning from – and as if to disrupt order, the first piece into the maximalist age strutted down the runway.
Bigger, louder, bolder
Beckoning the maximalist era, the collection made an abrupt transition to avant-garde as if to insinuate the metamorphosis that is meant to derange, bringing back unhinged creativity – the very soul of streetwear.
Unsurprisingly, puffers, which dominated streetwear runways for the last decade, are still top choice for designers to showcase on the runway – and a particular stand out from the Skechers × MSYD collection is the neon blue puffer co-ord piece that hints the migration to bolder, colourful styles in 2026 Malaysian streetwear.
The puffer fad, heralded in by Balenciaga in its autumn/winter 2016 collection, was popularised in the 1990s when Tommy Hilfiger introduced its hip-hop-inspired puffers – and these winter jackets made it to the early 2000s as they came in metallic finishes and futuristic designs.
One could say the revival of Y2K trends in 2021, spearheaded by Gen Z influencers, has led to puffers being reintroduced to the fashion scene and especially, streetwear.
Besides puffers, the debris of the Y2K trend were seen in the later pieces of the Skechers × MSYD collection.
Bold colours. Intricate weaving. Funky styling. Loud expression was clearly the intent of this runway’s showcase.
Thriving in recession
Although experts in the industry have predicted a fashion recession with the economy plummeting and spiralling into inflation, the KLFW’s runway was a curious phenomenon for the local fashion turf as it continues to thrive in creativity and daring expression.
In that, the Skechers × MSYD collection is a mirror to the thriving local fashion scene, especially in streetwear, as we get bolder – standing apart from “trendsetters”, making a name of our own.
As the KLFW’s lights dimmed, the city’s style scene stood taller – and unapogetically its own.
Sneak a peek at the Skechers × MSYD collaboration below: