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Latest issue on 7 Sept 2025. Update every Saturday.

Thursday Show
Vol.10 Nalaのはじまりと、紅包(アンパオ)

Vol.10 Nalaのはじまりと、紅包(アンパオ)

5 min read

Vol.10 Nalaのはじまりと、紅包(アンパオ)

実はNala Designsのはじまりが、 服でも布でもなく、アンパオ(紅包)だったことはあまり知られていないかもしれません。 今回は、今やマレーシア在住日本人の中では知らない人はいないブランドのNala Designsの始まりのエピソードをご紹介します。

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アンパオ(紅包)とは、

旧正月や結婚、出産などのお祝いの場でお金を入れて渡す赤いご祝儀袋のこと。

赤色には、幸福や吉兆、厄除けの意味があり、「自分の福を相手に分け渡す」という想いが込められています。日本のお年玉袋に少し似ているけれど、

アンパオはもっと広く、感謝や祝福を伝えるための文化的な道具として使われてきました。

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

アンパオ(紅包)とは、

旧正月や結婚、出産などのお祝いの場でお金を入れて渡す赤いご祝儀袋のこと。

赤色には、幸福や吉兆、厄除けの意味があり、「自分の福を相手に分け渡す」という想いが込められています。日本のお年玉袋に少し似ているけれど、

アンパオはもっと広く、感謝や祝福を伝えるための文化的な道具として使われてきました。

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

実は、Nala Designsの最初のプロダクトは、服でも布でもなく、このアンパオでした。

今から18年前。まだNalaというブランドが生まれる前、広告代理店を運営していた時代です。

そんなときに手に取ったのが、プラナカン文化を深く記した一冊の本。

陶器や磁器の模様、色やモチーフに込められた意味。 文化の背景を丁寧にひもとくその本は、Ms.Lisetteにとって大きなインスピレーションとなります。

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

そこからの大きなインスピレーションで、作り上げた最初のプロダクトがそう、アンパオです。

信じられないかもしれませんが、

最初の5年間、Nalaというブランドはアンパオとチョコレートだけで存在していました。

服を作る前から、Nalaは「文化を観察し、意味をすくい上げ、形にする」ということをしていたんですね。

当時のブランドメッセージは

「We make our universe beautiful.」ではなく、「Right away, every day.」でした。

また今とはまた少し違う、もっと静かで、日常に寄り添うような言葉ですね。

けれどその中には、今につながるNalaの原点が、すでに息づいていました。

さて、今回新たにローンチするのは、ファイヤークラッカーコレクションにインスピレーションを受けた最新のアンパオです。 ・・・

大胆なグラフィック、内にも外にも込められた意味ある言葉、

そして——忘れていたはずのノスタルジー。そんな想いを込めて。

日本の皆さんにとっては、お土産としてはもちろん、ちょっとしたメッセージを添えたり、

集金やお礼をスマートに渡したい場面でも、とても使いやすいアイテムです。

ぜひ、手に取ってみてくださいね。今回は、アンパオの文化的な意味とともに、

Nalaのあまり知られていない始まりのエピソードをご紹介しました。

これからも、皆さんとNala Deseignsがより近くなるエピソードをご紹介させていただきます。

We Are Building the Next 10

We Are Building the Next 10

5 min read

We Are Building the Next 10

We are hiring.
Not one person. Not two. Ten.

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This season we are doing something I have never done before. The Vase skirts are part of our Firecracker Collection for Chinese New Year, but they sit just as beautifully within Christmas. They are timeless wrap skirts, graceful in movement and full of colour. And yes, for the first time ever, I put my paintings directly onto a skirt.

A vase with flowers is technically not a pattern, but to balance the composition there are several patterns flowing around it, giving the skirt the full Nala universe you know and love.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
By 1 July, the team at HQ needs to be complete, structured and ready for the next chapter. We are growing, and growth only works when the right people are in the room.
Every role requires two to three years of retail experience. If you have never worked in retail before, this is not for you. Retail teaches urgency, customer sensitivity, responsibility and real world problem solving. We need people who understand that rhythm.
Here are the roles we are opening:
1. Graphic Designer
Salary range: RM3,000 to RM4,500
2. Web Designer
Salary range: RM3,500 to RM5,500
3. Videographer
Salary range: RM3,000 to RM5,000
4. Production Manager
Salary range: RM4,500 to RM6,500
5. Inventory Executive
Salary range: RM2,800 to RM4,000
6. Full Time Admin Executive
Salary range: RM2,800 to RM4,000
7. Corporate Sales Executive
Salary range: RM3,000 to RM5,000 plus commission
8. Warehouse Assistant
Salary range: RM2,500 to RM3,200
9. Personal Assistant to CEO
Salary range: RM3,500 to RM6,000
10. Cleaner or Chef
Salary range: RM2,200 to RM3,500 depending on skill set
What matters to us is not only skill. It is integrity. It is attitude. It is whether you go the whole way when you commit to something. We work as one unit. We win together or we lose together. There is no hiding and there is no blaming.
If you are sharp, responsible, emotionally intelligent, and serious about building something meaningful, we want to meet you.
Please send your CV to our customer service team. We will review and arrange either a work trial or an interview.
We are not just filling positions.
We are building a team.
The Year We Run

The Year We Run

5 min read

The Year We Run

As the Year of the Horse approaches, we created a limited edition T shirt to mark the moment.

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Instead of illustrating a horse, we chose the horseshoe. Clean, graphic, and just a little unexpected.

For centuries, the horseshoe has symbolised good luck and protection. Traditionally placed above a doorway, it was believed to guard the home and attract fortune. When the ends point upward, it holds the luck in. We like that idea.

Inside our horseshoe lives Lan Hua, our Singapore soul print inspired by the orchids of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Elegant orchids translated into pattern, silk screened by hand and framed within the curve of the shoe. Strength on the outside. Soul on the inside.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

There are two versions.
Each piece is hand printed using silkscreen.
RM69.

In the Chinese zodiac, the Year of the Horse is associated with energy, independence and forward momentum. It is a year that favours confidence, bold steps and trusting your own rhythm.

We launch this Saturday in Malaysia.
Singapore will follow later this weekend.

Let’s run.

The first Ottolenghi cookbook I ever bought

The first Ottolenghi cookbook I ever bought

5 min read

The first Ottolenghi cookbook I ever bought

The first Ottolenghi cookbook I ever bought was Jerusalem, and I can safely say that this book quietly changed the way I cook and, honestly, the way I think about vegetables forever.

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Before Jerusalem, I cooked quite normally. After Jerusalem, vegetables became the main character in my kitchen.

Ottolenghi has this magical ability to turn vegetables into something so rich, so comforting, and so satisfying that you genuinely forget about meat. Not in a preachy way. Not in a “this is healthier” way. More in a “why would I even want anything else” way.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

When I opened my first restaurant, DR.Inc (which is now called Lisette’s, run by The Social), the entire foundation of my buffet came straight out of Ottolenghi cookbooks. Dish after dish after dish was inspired by him. And of course, I never made any money, because I also followed his ingredient lists religiously.

If he said macadamia nuts, I bought macadamia nuts.
If he said maple syrup, I bought maple syrup.
If he said the best olive oil, I bought the best olive oil.

No shortcuts. No compromises. Zero business sense. Lots of flavour.

But the colours, the textures, the abundance, the richness. It was completely intoxicating. Big trays of roasted vegetables, herbs everywhere, yoghurt, tahini, citrus, crunch, softness, sweetness, heat. Everything layered. Everything generous.

I honestly don’t think I have ever cooked an Ottolenghi dish that wasn’t delicious, and more importantly, one that I didn’t immediately want to eat again.

Wall panels that would work perfectly as a skirt

Wall panels that would work perfectly as a skirt

5 min read

Wall panels that would work perfectly as a skirt

I’m in Singapore this week.
Back and forth between here and KL for work, and I realised this would probably be my last hotel stay for a while. So I thought, why not pick something really different?

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I booked The Vagabond Club on a whim. No research. Just scrolling on my hotel app and pressing “book.” And honestly, it’s been one of the strangest and most interesting hotel experiences I’ve had in Singapore.

From the moment you walk in, there’s a rhinoceros sculpture as a reception desk and walls wrapped in red velvet. Dramatic, theatrical, slightly ridiculous, slightly fabulous.

Then you open the door to your room and everything shifts.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.

There are hand-painted walls and these incredible linen wall panels with floral motifs. The panels, in particular, stopped me in my tracks. All I could think was: this would make such a beautiful skirt. Long panels. Vertical flow. Printed linen. A garment waiting to happen.

The room itself feels calm, artistic, and thoughtful with a touch too much. A lovely contrast to the wild lobby downstairs.

The hotel sits in a heritage Art Deco building from the 1950s, located between Little India and Kampong Glam, two of Singapore’s oldest and most character-filled neighbourhoods. Little India is full of spice shops, textile stores, and temples. Kampong Glam is home to colourful shophouses, cafés, boutiques, and the Sultan Mosque. It’s layered and very alive.

Stepping outside at night did give me a small oops moment. The street energy is… lively. Let’s leave it at that. But tonight there’s live jazz at the hotel bar, and suddenly everything makes sense again.

It’s the kind of hotel you’d want to stay in with someone special. A little bit strange. A little bit romantic. A little bit confusing.

Everything feels slightly wrong.
And somehow, very right.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.