NEELOFA

ON THE SURFACE, NEELOFA IS A YOUNG WOMAN IN PURSUIT OF HER DREAMS. BUT THE ENDURING POWER OF HER NARRATIVE STEMS FROM A DEEPER QUESTIONING OF VALUES, DOMESTICITY AND A SOCIETY HELLBENT ON STAYING THE SAME.

- BIANCA HUSODO

Amononym has always been reserved for a certain type of personality: Prince, Beyoncé, Iman. The kind of personality that renders a surname irrelevant. The kind of personality that forges a household name familiar to millions. These kinds of names withstood and will continue to stand the test of time, representing certain ideals many identify with.

And perhaps the same could be said of Neelofa. The three melodious syllables roll off the tongue. String them together and a particular face would spring to mind: One that’s both soft and sharp in its geometry; it’s cheekbones framing a set of feline eyes, eyelashes curled and full, lush lips. On the set of the cover shoot with T Singapore in Kuala Lumpur, this particular face was crowned with the glorious swath of a black leather hijab. Her petite figure — covered in an ankle-length Alexander McQueen coat, its shoulders exaggeratedly raised as if an armour — telegraphed an innate grandeur.

At 31, Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor, often shortened to Lofa by her legions of fans, is a burgeoning cultural force in her home country Malaysia as well as its neighbouring countries. She wears multiple hats, juggling roles as an actress, television host, business owner, fashion icon, and even, for a brief stint at AirAsia Group that recently ended in August, as a director of an airline. In Malaysia, her name is stamped on anything you can possibly think of. Onscreen, it’s displayed on local telemovies and popular talk shows like Next to Neelofa. Off the screen, it’s printed across the plastic lids of bubble tea, the latest collaboration between her banana milk brand, Nilofa, and the giant Taiwanese teahouse chain Chatime. Or more prominently on the clothing labels of Neelofa’s rapidly growing modest wear empire, Naelofar.