Guest causes stir in M'sia after showing up in blazer-only top at Kedah Fashion Week

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An individual in Malaysia, who showed up at the Kedah Fashion Week 2022 wearing only a blazer as a top, has caused the event's organisers to come under investigation by the state government.

Various photos of the guest have been circulated online by Malaysians, who were shocked by the boldness of the choice of outfit in a public area, and the fact that there was even a week dedicated to showcasing fashion in the northwestern state of Kedah.

Numerous Malaysia media have reported the issue by harping on how the person appeared sans a blouse and bra.

Photos of the individual, dressed in a green tailored suit only, began circulating on social media on Aug. 9.

The three-day event was held at the Aman Central mall in Alor Setar over Aug. 5 to 7.

Authorities respond

Kedah Health and Local Government Committee chairman Mohd Hayati Othman said in an Aug. 9 Facebook post that the event's organisers will be questioned over the inclusion of a scantily-clad person at the event.Hayati added: “The organisers did not apply for a permit nor did they receive permission from local authorities."

“We will call in the organisers, ask for an explanation, and take necessary action,” he said in his post.

Kedah is a state with a dominant Malay-Muslim majority, and leans conservative.

Mall responds

In response, Aman Central mall issued an apology on Facebook on Aug. 10 over the matter, adding that it had applied for all the necessary permits to hold the event.The mall said: "We wish to clarify that management did advise all guests to wear (sic) properly, however the challenges were unsurmountable (sic), hence would like to apologise that we have missed out to (sic) screen all the guests during the show."

“We wish to clarify that the event is not related to the Kedah state government in any way, but is the mall's internal event that has been ongoing since 2016.”

The mall stressed that they would reinforce measures pertaining to procedures to prevent such incidents from happening again.

What really happened

Some four hours after the mall's statement went public, Hayati followed up with another statement on Facebook saying that a swift investigation revealed the individual who caused a stir was not an actual participant, but just a person who showed up to take photos with the fashion week collaterals and putting the images online.Hayati went as far as to identify the individual as a "maknyah", or transgender woman, who styled herself and then took photos and put them up on social media.

The woman had posed in front of the billboards and collaterals after the event had officially ended.

Hayati added that the state was considering enhancing by-laws related to entertainment and shows to reflect Kedah's culture and norms, and also mentioned that the state would be taking necessary action against the individual, Gempak reported.

All photos via Malaysia social media