THE THREAD TRADERS

For close to two decades now, Rizman Ruzaini remains a brand well loved by celebrities, socialites and fashion-forward individuals in Malaysia's fashion sphere. Founders and designers RIZMAN NORDIN and RUZAINI JAMIL regale Florey D Mikil with stories of how their tale in threads started and how they continue to chase their dreams stitch by stitch.

Anyone who's met the Rizman Ruzaini duo in person would immediately notice the contrasting personalities. The first half of the duo, Rizman Nordin, is always ready to strike a pose for the camera, all the while beaming brightly. The second half, Ruzaini Jamil, appears more reserved with his shy demeanour and soft smile. Put the two together, however, and magic unfolds.

"We have a very good synergy while working" is their comment on their different yet similar approach to life and work. "The Yin and Yang are balanced between the two us and we complement each other. Of course, there have been quarrels and fights but nothing major. Because in the end, we have the same goal - to better accommodate our customers with the greatest experience in wearing Rizman Ruzaini."

Their journey from friends to designers to business partners - begun in their teenage years, having met at UiTM Sri Iskandar Perak while doing their Fashion diploma fresh out of SPM (the Malaysian Certificate of Education). Hitting it off from the start, they soon formed a lasting friendship, helping each other out through tough times. Be it loss of family members, financial struggles, or the stress of being away from family, one was always present to console and support the other and vice versa.

"It was also while in university that we decided to create a label together - as during that time the concept of duo designers was not very popular in Malaysia - and the rest, as they say, is history," states the pair who, at the time, was inspired by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who founded the Italian luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana in 1985.