WITH THE ‘RACE DAY’ FASHION SHOW AT SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, NEONATE X SVG WORLDWIDE WENT FULL THROTTLE TO ELEVATE THE MALAYSIAN STREETWEAR SCENE.

Last Sunday night (20 August 2023), Neonate and SVG Worldwide, two local streetwear titans, made their big premiere as collaborators, showcasing a new collection named RACE DAY at the Sepang International Circuit.

Slotted as an ‘off-schedule’ Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week 2023 (KLFW23) show, RACE DAY’s  83 looks collection was divided into eight different colour story, namely red, orange, blue, yellow, silver, green, brown and black. Featuring a mix of new and seasoned professional models, media personalities and influencers (who walked a total of 132km collectively for the RACE DAY show), the collection’s daring interpretation of ‘a normal day at the race track’ looked radiant especially with the iconic background that could only be achieved when held at the first proper world-class race track in Asia and certified by FIA, the Sepang International Circuit. 

Neonate and SVG started their RACE DAY campaign in June 2023 to tease their fans on the collaboration creating an internet meltdown. “The open call for new models drew an astounding 700 participants during its 2-day session. We shortlisted 77 fresh talents we perceive as the best to represent the vibe of both brands and I couldn’t be happier with their runway execution last night. ” says Karl Shafek, Founder and Creative Director of Neonate Clothing Company. “The undertaking for this collaboration is huge because not only do we have to cater to the demographics of both brands and making sure that while while we stay true to our brand DNA, it has to have that element that speaks of the partnership. Having a theme like RACE DAY makes it both easy and hard at the same time”. 

Echoing Karl’s sentiment, Ashraf Anuar, Founder of the current powerhouse of the Malaysian streetwear scene, SVG Worldwide added, “It’s easy because while the freedom to create is still present, it confines us to an area that is wide enough to go crazy but still taking into account the cohesiveness aspect of it. And hard because a collection with a name like RACE DAY, the set up needs to match the theme. As (near) perfectionists, both of us decides to take the plunge and do it like how we imagined it in our heads”.

The show was truly a production with approximately 300 crew members handling the on-ground side and main shows’ activities. Attended by more than 3,000 guests including more than 900 VIPs consisting of family, friends, stakeholders and participants and supporters of the Malaysian fashion industry, RACE DAY’s set up was a sight to behold and matches any other international events ever held at the track. On top of this were the clothes presented. Nothing was spared as Karl and Ashraf uses rich materials to form the garments. “We have denim, leather, cotton, rayon, wool, even canvas; and a dress completely made out of beads and gemstones. Streetwear has come a long way since the term was first coined. The line has been blurred and you would even see T-shirts and baggy denim pants in a haute couture show as done by Demna for Balenciaga. So we really wanted this collection to have a touch of glamour and high fashion. We even went as far as producing custom SVG X Neonate RACE DAY racing suits. I learned so much during this process and I would like to thank Karl personally for guiding me”, says Ashraf. 

Karl added, “Neonate and SVG are also grateful and would like to acknowledge Komono Malaysia and Converse Malaysia for their support by sponsoring accessories, namely sunglasses, watches, and sneakers to be used for the show. We must also give a massive shoutout to KLFW especially its Founder, Mr Andrew Tan for his continuous support, leadership and commendable initiatives to elevate the Malaysian fashion industry”. Endorsed by KLFW, other partners of the Neonate X SVG activation campaign and RACE DAY show are De’Xandra Perfume as main sponsor, Sepang International Circuit, AirAsia, Royale Chulan Hotels & Resorts, Motormaniac, Bateriku, Prestige Medispa Malaysia, JCPR, Hausboom, MZone Studio and Majalah Remaja. The event ended with a mini concert featuring some of the hottest young hip hop artists in the country including MK of K-Clique.

RACE DAY by Neonate X SVG will be released in parts for retail purposes. Follow them on social media via @neonate.company @svgwrldwide to receive latest news and announcements.