During COVID, I had to renew my Malaysian driving licence, and my instructor was Suzana. Since I’d already been driving for years, the lessons were really just an excuse for us to chat. While I was supposedly “learning” to drive, Suzana was scrolling through my Instagram, looking at all my latest Nala patterns and happily telling me which ones she liked, which ones she didn’t, and which colours she thought worked best. Somewhere along the way, my driving instructor unexpectedly became my design consultant.

When it came time to finalise my second Tudung collection, Suzana even brought a few of her fellow driving instructors to our office. They spent the afternoon looking through every design, feeling the fabrics and discussing the colours. I trusted their instincts completely, and every single design they approved became part of the final collection. It might sound unusual, but I’ve always believed that good design should resonate with real people, and that’s exactly what happened.

Not long afterwards, we urgently needed someone for a photoshoot. Suzana had once mentioned that she had a daughter, so I gave her a call and asked if Aliya might be available. Less than half an hour later, Aliya walked into our Kasturi store, and that was the first time I met my muse.

What I love most about Aliya is that she’s simply herself. She has a natural beauty that never tries too hard. She looks just as wonderful without makeup as she does with it, and somehow every collection feels at home on her. Whether she’s wearing our Chinese New Year collection, a Raya outfit, one of our T-shirts or now Aloha Kita, she wears every piece with quiet confidence, pride and humility. She never overshadows the collection. She brings it to life.

Today she’s part of the Nala family, she’s studying marketing, and we’re all looking forward to welcoming her back once she graduates. Some people become the face of a brand. Aliya became part of its heart.

Sometimes the universe has a far better plan than we could ever imagine. Mine just happened to begin with a driving lesson.