Welcome to inisaya - where fashion meets individuality and self-expression!
The Beginning
Our story begins in 2021, amidst the challenging times of the pandemic. Jeffery, our founder, found himself seeking new avenues for his business as weddings took a backseat. It was during this time that he stumbled upon a collection of unused batik fabrics he had acquired during his college years. Memories of his experimentation with batiks flooded back, igniting a spark of inspiration.
Jeffery noticed a lack of modern batik wear for men, with repetitive designs and safe prints dominating the market. He wanted to challenge the status quo and offer more diverse options for men. Encouragement from his sister-in-law, who fell in love with a wrap skirt he had created, fueled his determination. With nothing to lose, he grabbed the fabrics and began sewing and drafting samples.
Crafting a Meaningful Brand
As Jeffery pondered the perfect name for his brand, he reflected on his purpose: to create garments that would endure the test of time, adapting to changing sizes and lasting a lifetime. He envisioned people wearing his clothes and feeling a deep connection, as if the pieces were tailor-made for them. Embracing self-love and self-acceptance, he aimed to empower individuals through clothing that truly embraced their unique identity.
Considering his own heritage and Malaysia’s association with batik, Jeffery arrived at the name “inisaya.” Translated from Bahasa Melayu, it means “this is me.” It perfectly encapsulated his vision of embracing personal identity through fashion.
The Humble Beginnings
Jeffery called upon his friends to model his creations and capture photos using a humble iPhone 11. Nervous yet determined, he launched his first collection, unsure of what the response would be. To his delight, the love and support poured in. Orders started flowing in, requiring Jeffery to sew each piece himself to meet the growing demand. This marked the humble beginning of inisaya.
Made Locally with Love
At inisaya, we take immense pride in producing every garment locally. In the early days, Jeffery personally handcrafted each piece. As we grew, we began collaborating with local garment factories and home-tailors, ensuring that our production remains firmly rooted in Malaysia. We believe in supporting our local community and fostering a sense of togetherness, even if it means incurring slightly higher costs.
inisaya's Vision and Mission:
With our tagline, “be comfortable, be unique, be YOU,” we aspire to be the go-to local brand that represents the spirit of Malaysia. Our aim is to bring out the best in everyone and instill confidence with every wear. We celebrate diversity and individuality, crafting fashion pieces that reflect the rich culture and heritage of Malaysians.
To achieve this, we offer free minor alteration services, ensuring that each garment fits perfectly. We believe that when something fits well, it is cherished and worn for longer, reducing waste and combating the fast fashion cycle. Furthermore, we avoid mass production, creating only limited quantities (around 20-30 pieces per print) to enhance exclusivity. You can be confident that when you wear inisaya, you’re one of the few who possess our unique designs.
Join us on this extraordinary fashion journey, where we embrace personal style, celebrate diversity, and spread the joy of self-expression. Welcome to the world of inisaya!
Jeffery Goh
An inspiring young and upcoming designer who graduated from Raffles Design Institute Singapore majored in Fashion Design. At the age of 5, he was introduced to the world of fashion by his father, who used to run a fashion wholesale business.
As a designer, Jeffery’s fashion aesthetics lean towards the use of soft fabrics that incorporates feminine, sophisticated, and elegant designs, by combining traditional values and techniques in modern silhouettes. He finds inspiration from his experiences or personal insights that he wishes to convey and views fashion design as an outlet of his fantasies and dreams.
After graduating with a diploma in Fashion Design from Raffles College of Higher Education in Malaysia, he interned at Pearls and Laces under designer Beatrice Looi. During his internship, he learned how to improve existing evening and wedding gowns, handled premium materials, and demonstrated skills such as hand beading and draping. After finishing his term with Beatrice Looi, he decided to challenge himself by continuing his degree in Fashion Design at Raffles Design Institute, Singapore.
During his free time, he does hand embroidery because this is something he enjoys doing. In relation to that, he was also the winner of the Individual Category of DMC 270th Anniversary Singapore Craft Competition, which was focused on his embroidery work. On the other hand, he was also the 2nd Runner-up of Best Collection in the 35th Raffles College Graduation Showcase. As of his latest achievements, he was selected as one of the Top 60 finalists of the world for the Frankfurt Style Awards 2017 and his design was featured in the Fraport-Forum at the Frankfurt Airport.
He believes that being a designer is to not only design beautiful clothes, but to also design with heart and soul, creating the perfect outfit by fulfilling one’s fantasies. “Always being a work-in-progress” is his motto as he believes that he needs to be constantly moving forward, pushing himself to take risks.