Innai Red x Choo Yilin: An Oriental Chinese New Year at the Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur

Choo Yilin Innai Red Kuala Lumpur Ritz Carlton Old Peranakan Oriental New Year

A Stroke of Serendipity

A little over six months ago, our Founder, Yilin, was sitting in a Japanese restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was there that she met a lovely lady, W. Over some evening sake, they found themselves chatting about Malaysian high fashion designers; W shared that Innai Red was one of her favourite designers, and while they both scrolled through Innai Red’s Instagram page together, Yilin began to fall in love with the brand as well.

And so it was with a feeling of serendipity that just a few months later, Yilin found herself sitting across a table with Izrin, the founder of Innai Red. The meeting was facilitated by D, a dear friend of ours. Independently, D had been struck by the similarities between Innai Red and Choo Yilin, and felt that a collaboration between the two brands would be perfect -- We, as with Innai Red, embrace intricate embellishments and flowers whilst celebrating colours.

A Celebration of Old-World Peranakan Glamour

And so, the Innai Red x Choo Yilin collaboration was born.

The concept for the event was fuelled by nostalgia; by almost-forgotten times in Penang, back when ladies would dress up in classical cheongsams and fine jade jewellery - icons, amidst an equally iconic background: Peranakan Shophouses.

On 21 November 2018, at the stately Private Room at The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, Innai Red and Choo Yilin welcomed beloved media friends to experience this old-school Peranakan glamour.

Here are some of the snippets of the event, that the Innai Red and Choo Yilin team lovingly put together:

An Oriental Flower Buffet Bar

Personalised bouquets of tropical flowers from Fleuri Flowers, inspired by the memory of what our grandmothers would put in vases during the Lunar New Year;

Personalised Fans

In the days before the convenience of aircon, fans were the saving grace in tropical heat. Here, we paid homage to this by allowing guests to create their own personalised calligraphed fans.

Classical Chinese Musicians

The air was filled with classical Chinese music, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of glorious yesteryears.

Oriental Canapes by the Ritz-Carlton Butler Service

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur team provided unparalleled service as always; we all enjoyed a scrumptious array of oriental-themed canapés.

Innai Red’s Cheongsams

The debut Chinese New Year collection was inspired by the
Peranakan culture, and consists of fourteen modern, original cheongsams,
interpreted through the distinctive lens of INNAI RED.