KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — Generation Z sometimes gets a bad rep for being vain, lazy and feeling entitled to success.
But at 22, Malaysian fashion designer Oscar Lee has broken many of said stereotypes.
Lee is the founder of Outdwell a fashion brand of unique clothing pieces focused on giving artists the image they want.
Using Asian hip hop artists from China and Taiwan as an influence, Outdwell sets its target for the young and vibrant rule-breakers such as himself.
The brand made its debut at the 2022 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week when Lee was just 20.
Outdwell’s clothing has been worn by rock queen Ella, actors Meerqeen and Jack Tan, and many local influencers and artists.
The brand's latest collection was recently shown at popular dining establishment Maristar, located at The Starhill.
Maristar’s Fashionista is a monthly fashion event which provides a platform for fashion brands to showcase their latest collections. In attendance was The Marini's Group vice president Elizabeth Marini.
In term of the models' eyewear, they wore Lash, a South Korea brand which explores modern eyewear styling through unique design details.
Malay Mail spoke with the young designer about his journey in fashion, his love for hip hop and the challenges he faced coming up with his brand.
“Fashion isn’t just what you wear everyday but it’s also how you express yourself,” Lee said.
He describes Outdwell as a brand for individualists, leaders of the pack who set fashion trends and those who are looking to send a message with their clothing.
Hip hop’s influence
“Ever since high school, I’ve always been interested in arts and craft,” the Outdwell founder said.
“So when I discovered fashion I got excited at how fun the process was with drawing and sewing my own clothes.”
Lee said it was a fun experience meeting with celebrities and many rising music artists in events and working on their fashion.
When asked how he comes up with inspiration, Lee said his first instinct is to turn to hip hop music videos.
“I just keep watching music videos and listening to music. Imagining what would I do if I was the rapper on stage. How would I want my clothes to stand out?” he said.
“To me, music and fashion have to be linked because that is where it (inspiration) comes from.”
Taking cues from Asian style as opposed to Western trends, Lee always finds something interesting or unexpected in Chinese or Taiwanese artists.
“They tend to wear suits, they wear this and that with all the weird things going on. But to me that’s the most interesting thing about different fashion and different cultures,” he added.
Lee said that womenswear is something he looks forward to this year, with his new collection featuring pieces that are unisex.
Challenges faced
Lee got his break when he was given the opportunity to create 20 outfits for the 2022 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
With a say-yes-to-anything attitude, it was time for Lee’s passion and dreams to become reality.
However, Lee had no prior experience putting a fashion show together and mistakes were made in the process.
“Actually, all the pants at our first show did not fit the models. So I was panicking for a few good minutes,” recalled Lee.
Lee said that with no experience running a business he had to learn many things the hard way.
"The good thing that came from all the mishaps was that I now recognise the type of people that I’m dealing with and who to avoid,” Lee added.
Turning to music as a place to vent his emotions, he said that these situations have given him more drive to make his own rap tracks produced by his older sister.
He added he was grateful to his family and three older sisters for their advice and support of his fashion career, who themselves are all entrepreneurs.
Advice to young entrepreneurs
Many Gen Z have dream careers they would like to chase but find the lack of drive leading them to mundanity, a criticism of older generations.
“Honestly, I think the older generations are right about us,” the Gen Z said.
“We tend to do things on our own time. But then again it's all about motivation because when I started, the motivation for me was Mercedes-Benz.
“In a way I was lucky, but I did work very hard to make something that was good in the eyes of the people there.”
Lee recommends young entrepreneurs to find their source of inspiration and to give themselves a reason why they should pursue their passion further.
“My reason is: I have fun, I make money, I get to do something that I like and I make my parents proud. That’s it,” said Lee.
For more details, visit http://www.outdwell.clothing/
