Edgy Fashion Takes Centre Stage

YACUTHA, a self-taught fashion designer, made a bold impact on the local fashion scene with his “20twentyfive Collection”. His solo show at Theatre Hotel in Kuching featured cool designs, including polka dots, handkerchief hemlines, and edgy styles, captivating the audience.

YACUTHA unveils ‘20twentyfive Collection’

Once upon a time in Kuching, when fashion events were rare, Yacub Taha was described as an “enfant terrible” in a fashion design competition.

Shortly after, the young man flew to London for a life-enriching experience that allowed him to explore more of the fashion world.

He spent a significant part of his life there, but eventually, Malaysia drew him back, where he became a fashion stylist for a celebrity for several years.

In recent years, he has returned to his fashion roots and has risen again in the local scene as a fashion designer. A little quirky at times with his unconventional styles, he creates bold fashion statements, crafting his early collections with assorted materials and motifs. I thought it was very innovative of him to offer a one-size-fits-all approach.

Last weekend, YACUTHA, as he is popularly known, held his first solo fashion show at the Theatre Hotel — the first smart, unmanned hotel in Sarawak.

YACUTHA, the designer.

Taylor Louise, who won Gold at the World Championship of Performing Arts in California, models.

Located on Jalan Song Thian Cheok, Kuching, this quirky and beautifully transformed hotel, formerly known as Liwah Hotel, boasts a large event space and a cinema-sized screen that serves as a digital backdrop for sound and images.

The central area was where YACUTHA unveiled his ready-to-wear “20twentyfive Collection”, modelled by about 45 local models, ranging from children to adults. The models, striding across the room and viewed from all angles, showcased streetwear, draped silhouettes, pretty tunics with interesting prints, and some all-white and dark looks.

Polka dots are cool this year, and we saw them edging their way into fashion, enjoying a real boom in retro style. A model with a bald look was the chicest, wearing a polka-dot dress and rocking the dots with her modern style.

For YACUTHA’s customers who love edgy styling, there were party dresses influenced by this bold aesthetic.

One of the highlights of the show was YACUTHA’s handkerchief hemline fashion, which is very on-trend. The extremely versatile kerchief look can be worn effortlessly, from graphic prints to pretty florals, making it suitable for the office, a night out, or even weekend outings.

A young girl with a high, swinging ponytail modelled a colourful handkerchief-hemmed dress, as featured in one of our pictures.

Children are always delightful to watch, and there were some brave little ones looking very smart. Including kids in the show helps showcase the talent and potential of the next generation of models.

Taylor Louise from Kuching, who won Gold at the World Championship of Performing Arts in California, did the catwalk in a lovely pink outfit.

Many guests at the show wore YACUTHA fashion and proudly posed for photos at the reception.

Adding to the visual impact was the media wall, where many ladies gathered to take selfies and wefies. It was designed by Ethan Madang Law, a very young local talent who also modelled in the show.

Working hard to check every detail and ensure a successful event was YACUTHA, the self-taught fashion and accessories designer who deserves applause for making a significant impact on our local fashion scene.