KUALA LUMPUR: Knowledge is power but it comes with hard work too. Renowned fashion designer Datuk Rizalman Ibrahim is no stranger to this adage and is adept at balancing work and play to deliver the best look for his clients which include celebrities.
But the fashion-forward figure apparently has a bone to pick with certain celebrities, who have no real insight or deep knowledge in the field of fashion, flooding the market with their own clothing lines and brands.
He expressed his dissatisfaction at those who seem to be jumping on the bandwagon and utilising a “copy and paste” approach merely for the sake of making quick money.
“The fashion industry is a highly regarded and serious business. Certain artistes that have been afflicted with dwindling acting jobs or lack of album sales have seen themselves fit to start selling clothes instead.”
“Please don’t! As long as I’m still alive and working in this industry, don’t you even dare!” he said in a recent news report by Astro Gempak.
Rizalman, who has been active for over 25 years in the industry and runs five companies, added: “Fashion can shape civilisations, change the course of a country’s economy, alter the character of individuals and provide certain forms of security to the various aspects of human life. So don’t defile the fashion industry.”
He further explained that being a fashion designer was a really tough job and that he would be sharing his knowledge and experience in a new reality TV competition.
The show, titled Gen F, will see Rizalman, together with successful fashion entrepreneur Datin Vivy Yusof, as part of a jury panel.