Nala Design New Collections Brutal TImes May 2026

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Latest issue on 7 Sept 2025. Update every Saturday.

Thursday Show
From Iris to Ixora

From Iris to Ixora

5 min read

From Iris to Ixora

Our upcoming Raya collection marks an important step for Nala.

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This is handmade batik at its best. A beautiful, time honoured technique that takes time, skill, and care. It is more expensive, yes, but it is worth it. These are pieces that will last you a lifetime, not something that fades after a few washes.

The prints are inspired by stories close to us. The Japanese iris, the Malaysian ixora, passion fruit, the familiar plastic chair, and my family crest, all reimagined through batik in a way that feels modern, personal, and rooted.

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

Every piece is made from 100 percent cotton. Comfortable, breathable, and truly wearable. The collection is simple and intentional. Baju kurung, sarongs, men’s shirts, and kebayas. Essentials you can wear for Raya and far beyond.

This collection reflects what we believe in. Designing locally. Printing locally. Manufacturing locally. Supporting cottage industries and real craftsmanship instead of mass produced, throwaway fashion.

This is the direction we believe in. Buy less, choose better, and wear it again and again.

This is how we move forward.
This is how we make our universe beautiful.

Launching soon. Stay tuned.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
A Very Practical Experiment

A Very Practical Experiment

5 min read

A Very Practical Experiment

This week’s Object of Desire began as an experiment rather than a plan.

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I created a series of paintings for Boutique Fairs Singapore, and the response took me by surprise. Many people wanted to buy them, but I found myself unable to let go. That felt slightly impractical, so this became the compromise. Instead of selling the paintings, we printed them onto skirts.

This is only possible because of how much textile printing has evolved over the years. We started with silkscreen, moved to rotary printing, and eventually arrived at digital printing, which began entering fashion in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Digital printing allows artwork to be transferred as it is, without flattening or simplifying it.

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

This is the first time I have done this, and it felt like a natural step rather than a grand statement. The dandelion painting that leads this story was simply too nice to leave behind.

The result is a small run of skirts and dressed that sit somewhere between art and clothing. Easy to wear, slightly unexpected, and very hard to categorise.

These pieces are available at Tanglin Mall in Singapore, TANGS Singapore, our Bangsar Village shop, Penang, The Campus, our Kasturi store, and online.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
Milan, Miami, and a Palm Tree State of Mind

Milan, Miami, and a Palm Tree State of Mind

5 min read

Milan, Miami, and a Palm Tree State of Mind

Palm Patio is a print that quietly carries a lot of places at once. A little bit of Milan, a little bit of Miami, right here in Kuala Lumpur. How cool is that.

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I have always loved Milan because, in many ways, it reminds me of KL. It is a city that is slightly chaotic and a little messy in the best possible way. You need to know where to go. You need to know which streets matter, which restaurants are worth returning to, and which ones you quietly forget. It is a city learned through trial and error.

Friendships matter there. Food matters even more. The food is incredible. And once you understand the rhythm, everything clicks. Milan is not polished in an obvious way. It is ad hoc, layered, and alive. Apart from the fact that you can walk everywhere, it has the same big city energy that makes KL feel so real to me. I feel like a fish in water there. After my travel ban(self imposed), I cannot wait to go back.

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

Palm Patio was inspired by a hidden Airbnb apartment courtyard in Milan, filled with tall palm trees and soft light. Sitting on the terrace, eating my pineapple bars, which truly deserve a comeback, I found myself just looking up. That moment became the print.

The lines hint at Art Deco Miami, with its optimistic curves and sun soaked attitude. But the soul of the print is Milan. Observant, relaxed, and quietly confident.

Palm Patio is a classic. At first glance, it might look like it does not match anything. In reality, it matches everything. The pink and blue palette works effortlessly, which is why this print remains beautifully underrated.

Finished with real leather piping, the bags are designed to be lived with. And if you want to carry a little bit of Milan and Miami with you, without leaving Kuala Lumpur, this is it.

Palm Patio bags are currently available at 50% off in all stores and online. Sometimes the best journeys are the ones you do not need a plane for.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
Perspective Is Everything. Even With a Flower.

Perspective Is Everything. Even With a Flower.

5 min read

  Perspective Is Everything. Even With a Flower.

The Bunga Raya is Malaysia's national flower and one of the most overused motifs in the country. It has been painted, printed, and repeated so often that many people stop really seeing it. That was
precisely the point of departure for this print.

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Rather than depicting the flower literally, I took it apart. I dissected its form. What emerged is not an obvious hibiscus, but a contemporary interpretation that feels joyful, a little bit Mediterranean but definitely very happy.

It is unmistakably Malaysian, yet it does not announce itself as such.

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

This pink Bunga Raya print was originally commissioned by Jo Malone London many years ago. It did not fit their branding, but it found its true place with us, translated into tablecloths and homeware. I wanted it to carry a happy, almost Mexican Spanish spirit. Warm, generous, and made to be lived with.

The tablecloth is finished with a light acrylic coating, making it subtly waterproof and ideal for everyday use. It is designed to be used, not preserved.

What fascinates me is how one flower can generate endless interpretations. Some see repetition. I see possibility. Some see something tired. I see happiness. The flower never changed. The perspective did.

That idea extends far beyond design. In life, truth is personal. You choose what you focus on, what story you tell yourself, and how you interpret the world around you.

That is what Nala has always done. We take the familiar and offer a new way of seeing it. And suddenly, a flower becomes not just a flower, but thousands of new stories waiting to be told.

The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
The skirt that thinks it is a painting.
Nothing Wasted, Everything Beautiful

Nothing Wasted, Everything Beautiful

5 min read

Nothing Wasted, Everything Beautiful

This month is all about upcycling, and this project has been quietly waiting for its moment for more than ten years.

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Deep in our archives, we found a stack of old backpacks from at least a decade ago. Instead of looking at what they were, we looked at what they could become. We took them apart, carefully, and discovered that the inside lining, a black printed fabric, was actually incredibly beautiful.

These new pouches are made from that very lining. A material that already existed, already had a story, and simply needed a second life. We paired it with fabrics from our archives, prints that have travelled with us for years, and suddenly everything made sense. These pouches feel familiar and new at the same time.

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

These new pouches are made from that very lining. A material that already existed, already had a story, and simply needed a second life. We paired it with fabrics from our archives, prints that have travelled with us for years, and suddenly everything made sense. These pouches feel familiar and new at the same time.

They are perfect as gifts. Thoughtful, practical, and quietly special. The kind of object you reach for every day without thinking, and then realise you have had it for years.

Each pouch comes with a leather drawstring, inspired by a pouch I once received from a Japanese fan who joined one of my workshops. It was such a simple, generous gift, beautifully made, and I never forgot it. This is our way of passing that feeling on.

We will be launching these pouches in one week’s time. Not tomorrow. Some things deserve a little patience.

Nothing wasted. Everything considered. And proof that beauty often already exists, waiting to be rediscovered.

Between Wilderness and Fire

Between Wilderness and Fire

5 min read

Between Wilderness and Fire

Some pieces take years to become clear. Others feel inevitable the moment they exist.

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This new scarf collection brings together two worlds that have always lived side by side in my life. Nature and intention. Observation and action. Gentleness and sharpness.

The first part of the collection is called In the Wilderness.

It was drawn in Eersel with my mother. She is a botanist and has the rare gift of knowing every flower by name, including their Latin names. Walking with her is like walking through a living archive. Nothing is random. Every petal, stem, and weed has a story, a structure, a reason for being there. These scarves are dedicated to her and to that way of looking at the world with patience, curiosity, and deep respect for nature.

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

The second part of the collection draws from Firecracker, our ongoing exploration of the elements needed to navigate life, love, and work.

There is the heart, reminding us that compassion and passion are not optional. There is sharpness, clarity of thought and intention, expressed here in two fully unisex scarves in a single blue tone. And there is the bean, a symbol of readiness to grow, to reflect, and to begin again. Growth is never loud. It is quiet, consistent, and brave.

All scarves in this collection are hand printed using the silk screen technique, the same way we have been doing it for the past 15 years. Each scarf measures two metres by 120 centimetres. The layers overlap softly, the colours settle beautifully, and the prints hold their strength over time. They can be washed in the washing machine and they truly last. We still sell scarves we made years ago. They do not tire, they do not fade, they do not wear out. They stay.

We made them deliberately simple. Scarves you can live in, travel with, and return to again and again.

This is a limited launch in Singapore on the 30th. Quietly beautiful pieces, made to stay with you for a very long time.

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