The muʻumuʻu has a history stretching back to 19th century Hawaiʻi. In 1820, Hawaiian royalty and newly arrived seamstresses worked together on a long dress called the holokū. Hawaiian women went on to adapt these garments to suit their lives and the island climate. A simpler version became the muʻumuʻu, a Hawaiian word meaning “cut off.” Through the 20th century, its comfortable shape and expressive prints made it a much loved part of Hawaiian dress.

I love the thought behind a dress made for warm weather and real life. For our Aloha series, we took that inspiration and made something unmistakably Nala. I drew the pattern by hand: our Malaysian hibiscus, our famous kingfisher, and a pink that feels light and happy.

Many people still do not realise how much goes into our fabric. We develop and weave our own cotton satin rather than buying fabric off the rack. My drawing then goes to India, where it is printed onto the fabric we have made. The result is a cotton that is beautifully light and thin, with a softness you understand as soon as you touch it. Once you put this dress on, you may not want to take it off.

The dress has an open back, and I love wearing it without a bra. When it is this hot, sometimes you simply want to feel free. It is comfortable enough for an ordinary day and beautiful enough to take on holiday.

And, as always with Nala, it goes in the washing machine. I want our clothes to be worn often, cared for easily and kept for years. Hawaiian families have treasured muʻumuʻu across generations. I would love for this Nala dress, with its own Malaysian story, to be passed on one day too.