Plazä Finds Beauty in the Art of Coming Together

At Fashion Week Asia, Kuala Lumpur-based designer Anisah Farid brings Malaysian heritage textiles into a maximalist mix of color, texture, and embellishment.

The opening look of Plazä was a study in contrasts: Malaysian batik and songket tailored into a blazer and skirt, punctuated by the intensity of carnelian red and regal purple. From there, the runwayRunwayThe platform or catwalk on which models present a designer's collection to an audience of editors, buyers, and guests. Runway shows establish the creative statement of a season, and Vogue'sGo to Runway Glossary unfolded in a riot of textures and embellishments, with lace, printed fabrics, embellished velvet, and a red-wine opera coat setting the tone for a collection that found harmony in excess.

Titled Reunion, the collection by Kuala Lumpur-based designer Anisah Farid explored the personalities and perspectives that emerge when distinct identities come together. Statement buttons, handcrafted floral appliqués, sequins, and beads brought dimension to the silhouettes, while plaid met lace cutouts and layers of taffeta amplified the collection’s theatrical sensibility. At the close, satin cutouts moved with a lively fluidity, bringing the show to a final expression of movement and shine.

Farid, a graduate of London College of Fashion who began her career working in fashion houses across London and New York, founded Plazä in 2025. Her practice draws on Malaysian heritage and craftsmanship, reinterpreting traditional techniques and textiles through a contemporary lens.

For Reunion, that approach extended across a regional textile vocabulary, from Thai silk and Indian saris to Indonesian lace, Malaysian batik, and songket. These were juxtaposed with velvet, organzaOrganzaA sheer, lightweight, crisp fabric made from silk or synthetic fibers, valued for its structure and subtle shimmer. Organza is used for ternos, bridal gowns, sleeves, and overlays, where itGo to Organza Glossary, and satin twill, creating a visual dialogue between inherited craft and modern fabrication. Particularly meaningful to Farid were textiles developed with Malaysian artisans, including traditional pelikat and East Coast batik. One batik fabric was produced by inmates at a Malaysian prison, its vivid colors reflecting the skill behind its making.

“I wanted every piece to have its own identity, its own character, its own way of expressing itself, just like us as individuals,” Farid explains. In bringing these varied materials and silhouettes together, Reunion makes its message clear: Individuality need not be sacrificed for unity. Instead, difference becomes the very thing that gives a collection its character.