We have Alia Bastamam and Nurita Harith to tell us the story behind their latest creation.

With Raya approaching, our homegrown designers had launched their Raya collections to celebrate this festive season. From modernised design inspired by traditional wear to elegant dresses that embrace femininity, these talented designers got your back for the Raya looks.
Thanks to ZALORA Malaysia, we have the chance to share with you more about the Raya collection from Alia Bastamam and Nurita Harith.

Alia B by Alia Bastamam

The designer took inspiration from her main line Alia Bastamam to create her latest Raya 2023 collection named <a href="https://alia-b.com/product-category/forever-raya-2023/">FOREVER</a>. The collection offers a selection of modernised Baju Kurung with Alia&rsquo;s aesthetic in wrap silhouettes and sarongs, dedicated to all Alia B girls who are strong and confident.

Congratulations on the Raya collection, please talk us through the design process of this new ALIA B &lsquo;FOREVER&rsquo; Raya 2023 collection.
It all started with who my ALIA B Raya girls will be - they need to have a certain look and aura that aren&rsquo;t just in line with the brand, but also in line with the times. They should own their presence with confidence and ambition; to convey a message that chimes with their beauty inside and out.
In terms of design, I wanted to create an ALIA B collection that&rsquo;s more womanly, as I see my loyal ALIA B girls have grown up with the brand. For that, I&rsquo;ve really injected the Alia Bastamam aesthetic into the ALIA B designs - it&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve not done before to distinguish my brands. So, you&rsquo;ll see the wrap silhouettes aplenty and also a more sophisticated colour palette of neutrals.
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What are the difficulties you had faced when designing the collection?
More of a challenge than difficulty is knowing what the consumers want. Having done this for a long time, I&rsquo;m lucky to know which of my designs remain appealing for many seasons, but there are moments when I introduce a new design and it doesn&rsquo;t hit the mark that my team and I were expecting. So, apart from knowing exactly what the consumers want, it&rsquo;s also about being two steps ahead.

You&rsquo;ve been in the industry for quite some time. What are some of the changes that you&rsquo;ve seen in the Raya trend?
As Raya becomes more of a fashion season in Malaysia, we start seeing trends. At a time, looks were becoming more minimal, then more traditional. But it is great to see many brands honing in on and polishing their aesthetic. With that, there are more for consumers to pick from, and which best suits their style.
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What&rsquo;s next for Alia Bastamam, the brand, and yourself?
In 2019, we took the Alia Bastamam brand to Milan and showed it off-calendar. And then the pandemic hit. This year hopefully we&rsquo;ll continue with the brand&rsquo;s international foray.
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How do you stay motivated in what you do?
Working on the next thing keeps me motivated. Finding inspiration; new facets to the Alia Bastamam woman and the ALIA B girl; imagining fresh ideas for my designs, new colours, new visuals, the list goes on. The &ldquo;new&rdquo; keeps me going.

NH by Nurita Harith

<a href="http://nuritaharith.com">Nurita Harith&rsquo;s ready-to-wear 2023 collection</a> infused the brand&rsquo;s signature draping of pastel hues and dark tones. With soft, feminine, and the essence of elegance, the pieces are uniquely designed for all NH ladies.

The show on #ZALORAYA2023 was major! Could you please walk us through your design process? What&rsquo;s the most important element when you start to create this Raya collection?
Whenever we design a collection, it's always to create a better version and observe what our ladies like as well as with our signature details. We will look for better materials and come up with more unique prints. It&rsquo;s a challenge every year but a fulfilling one.
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There are interesting prints that appear on some of the looks. Are there any stories behind it?
We wanted to try other than flowers but not stray too far, so we developed Succulents and the special part of it with a fading effect to blend in seamlessly. Every print has a matching colour tone with the base and with different placings on each design, these are what make it special.

What are the messages you want to convey through this Raya collection?
That our ladies can still look exclusive at an affordable price.
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There are fascinating colours in the collection, what inspired you for the colour palette?
We monitor our yearly colours, which colour needs to exclude or remain but with a tweak. New colours are acquired yearly to pop the collection.
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What&rsquo;s next for Nurita Harith? Any upcoming project that you can reveal? 
We are launching NH by Nurita Harith Bridal Ready-to-Wear this year at Zalora!

INTERVIEW: Malaysian designers talk about their Raya 2023 collection

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