Boy from Terengganu

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Whether walking through the market streets in his small conservative hometown of Kuala Terengganu or strolling through the cosmopolitan malls of Kuala Lumpur, Brandon Ong is someone who stands out from the crowd. Often pushing the boundaries of fashion – which, at times, might involve wearing high heels, skirts, and intricate accessories – his appearance turns heads no matter where he goes. But compared to Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Lumpur is considerably more accepting, allowing him the much-needed freedom to express himself; and it was there where YAA SUI, a fashion community and production house founded by Brandon and his friends, was born.

无论是走在家乡那座保守的小城市——瓜拉登嘉楼的市场街道上，还是漫步于吉隆坡大都会的商场里，Brandon Ong 总是会在人群中脱颖而出。他的造型不断挑战时尚的界限，有时他还会穿上高跟鞋、裙子，佩戴上复杂的时尚配饰，无论他走到哪里，总是有很高的回头率。在吉隆坡，相比于瓜拉登嘉楼，他的造型某种程度上会更易被人们接受，而这正是他要表达自我所需要的自由；也正是在吉隆坡，Brandon和他的朋友成立了一个时尚社团和制作机构YAA SUI。

Yaa sui is a term used in Malaysia, which represents someone with the confidence to have their own individual style. Feeling the need to improve, stir up, and inspire the Malaysian fashion scene, Brandon and his friends started throwing crazy underground parties. These parties were one of a kind in Malaysia, involving DIY clothes, inventive hairstyles, and eccentric footwear. Each party had different themes like “Club Kids” or “Harajuku,” but the common underlying motif seemed to always be the encouragement of creativity and self-expression. YAA SUI’s parties attracted people searching for new methods of expression, along with those who want to experiment with fashion and shake off the pressure of society. But as of recently, the organisers are taking a break and trying to make ends meet – the parties were an endless and unsustainable investment of time and money.

Yaa sui是一个马来西亚口头语，用来指那些能自信地展现自己个人风格的人。Brandon和他的朋友举办各种疯狂的地下派对，希望能帮助马来西亚的时尚圈不断进步，激发出更多的时尚灵感。在马来西亚，这些派对可谓独一无二，他们在派对上DIY服装、打造创意发型设计和奇异的鞋子。每一次的派对都会有不同的主题，譬如“夜店小孩”或“原宿”，但所有派对背后的共同主旨似乎都是要鼓励更多的时尚创意。YAA SUI举办的派对吸引着那些正在探寻全新表达方式的人们，以及那些想要进行不同时尚实验、摆脱社会压力的人。最近，作为派对的主办单位，YAA SUI正在休整之中，试图使收支平衡。举办这些派对需要不断地投入时间和金钱，他们设法维持了一段时间，但已经无法一直无止境地维持下去。

Brandon and his designer friends know it is extremely hard to make a living through fashion in Malaysia. The conservative tilt of the country makes it difficult for their ideas to be accepted, at least for now. People simply like to follow trends and cast originality aside. Popular brands and knockoffs sell quite well but the market is not mature enough to bet on individualism. The YAA SUI team wanted to disrupt the state of things and bring awareness. First, they did so through their films where they raised questions about fashion and individuality; then later, their parties and social media channels were continued attempts to spark discussions. But as Brandon says, even when not taking the small towns into consideration, Kuala Lumpur is still far off – there’s still a long way to go.

Brandon和他的设计师朋友都明白，要在马来西亚靠时尚谋生是一件极困难的事情。这个国家的自由和开放度还不足以接纳他们近乎疯狂的时尚创意，至少目前为止是这样的。在那里，人们只想追随潮流，创意被抛弃在一边。主流品牌和仿冒品销量很好，但市场并未成熟到足以容纳个性化的时尚产品，这也正是YAA SUI团队试图改变的一点。他们自己拍摄创作影片，在影片中对时尚界提出质疑，举办他们独特的派对，并借助社交媒体平台的影响，希望藉此可以提高人们的时尚创意意识。但Brandon表示，他们离目标尚有很长的路要走。在吉隆坡尚且如此，更不用提在小城镇里。

Brandon is now back in his hometown of Kuala Terengganu, dreaming of his next trips to Bangkok and Tokyo in search of fashion inspirations. The spark in his eyes, the passion in his voice, and his infectious smile – which reveals a set of gold grillz on his teeth – show that the YAA SUI movement is far from being dead. It’s just entering the next chapter.

如今Brandon已经回到了他的家乡登嘉楼，他正计划着下一次前往曼谷和东京寻找时尚灵感。他的双眼依旧火花闪耀，他的声音满溢热情，他的笑容极具感染力，每次笑的时候，还会露出他的金色牙套。所有这一切都表明，YAA SUI的时尚革命远未结束，它只是进入了新的篇章。