By: Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
Nala, a brand inspired by the cultural diversity, uniqueness, and beauty of Malaysia, has now penetrated markets in Europe, Japan, and several ASEAN countries.
The founder and owner of Nala, Lisette Scheers, stated that all the collections are hand-drawn and infused with high creative energy.
“Generally, the prints and patterns of Nala products are derived from Malaysia’s cultural and traditional treasures. I reinterpret these ideas into contemporary designs that suit the modern era.
“For example, I have taken old mooncake moulds and vintage Malay jewellery to form the basis of the prints in previous collections.
“I admire traditional Malay clothing such as baju kurung, kebaya, and kebarung. In those collections, I incorporated hibiscus elements, and they turned out to be very appealing and well-loved.
“I will continue with traditional Malay clothing collections but will introduce different patterns based on what I observe in my surroundings,” she said to Ipoh Echo/Peraktastic during the opening ceremony of Nala’s boutique at Silverlakes Village Outlet (SVO), Batu Gajah, here today.
Scheers added that the selection of colours in all her collections is given utmost importance, in line with the tagline ‘We Make The World Beautiful.’
“I don’t prioritize or follow current trends. What’s important to me is the selection and combination of colours. I want everyone who wears my collection to look stylish and elegant.
“For the next collection, I am working on ‘batik’ designs even though I am facing some challenges, but it doesn’t deter me. I am also introducing clothing collections for men and children,” said Scheers, a Dutch national born in Singapore but raised in Malaysia since 1972.
The Nala brand is named after her daughter, who is currently pursuing her studies. Nala has five outlets: in Bangsar Utama, Kuala Lumpur, Central Market, and the latest at SVO, Batu Gajah.
Scheers added that the beauty of the lake and the natural greenery at SVO attracted her to open a branch there.
“Besides falling in love with the unique architecture of the business premises at SVO, the peaceful and serene atmosphere surrounded by green trees was a major factor why I was interested in opening a new branch for the people of Perak.
“In conjunction with the opening of the SVO Batu Gajah branch, we have produced several special collections featuring elephant motifs, which we hope will attract visitors,” she said.
