916 Apparel

Scope of work:

Branding for a new local apparel brand.
Lead designer for all of the brand’s deliverables, from visual identity to clothing tags.
Social media content creation for the launch of the brand, spanning 3 months from Hari Kebangsaan to Hari Malaysia.

Female model wearing 916 Apparel streetwear

One Nation Fits All

In 2015, our nation was experiencing a patriotic revival in the wake of uncomfortable news that flooded our social media streams. People were pitched against each other unnecessarily, morale was low. Our goal was to remind people that our diversity, decades of multicultural living, and the heritage we share is still and always will be worth celebrating.

Enter 916 Apparel, a project under the ONE NATION FITS ALL movement we founded to commemorate our “tanah tumpahnya darahku” through 100% locally made streetwear.

Each product was shipped out with a Certificate of Authenticity. The certificate was also where we showcased a stamp truly unique to our brand — a stamp in the shape of kuih lapis bearing the line “Untuk Semua Lapisan Masyarakat,” which means “For All Layers of Society.”

916 Apparel branding and packaging photographed against green pastures

Inspiration

The look and feel we were trying to establish during the preliminary design process revolved around the keywords retro, heritage, Malaysian, approachable, streetwear, and pride. We looked into two distinct design styles: progressive contemporary graphic design and old Malaysian design. The goal was to marry the two.

Contemporary graphic design moodboard — clean layouts, muted colour palette

Nostalgic and heritage-inspired moodboard — vintage Malaysian culture, colonial-era references

Moodboards

Logo Design

Over a dozen logos were explored. We wanted to infuse as many Malaysian elements into the logo as possible while retaining a modern, approachable look. Variants of the Malaysian flag colors, icons that allude to local culture, and 916-related logotypes were drafted.

Selected Logo & Rationale

The selected logo consists of 3 elements: The 14-pointed star from the Jalur Gemilang represents the unity of all 14 Malaysian states, which can also be interpreted as the silhouette of a durian, a “flower” that can be found on the mangosteen, and the 916 logotype.

“Why 916?” you may ask. It’s a reference to the 16th of September, Malaysia Day.

Malaysia Day is held on 16 September every year to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963.

Packaging Design

The brand identity didn’t stop at just the logo design. We wanted the brand to shine even on the very packaging in which the product will be encased. Several ideas were played around with, which included making the packaging of the product look like a banana leaf or a nasi lemak bungkus packaging, but in the end practicality triumphed. We decided to launch the brand with a single uniform packaging, one that doesn’t shout out too much but has a recognizable look as well.

Early packaging option — bottle wrap concept

Premium packaging concept — tall portrait wrapper

Top: Early packaging design options. Bottom: Selected packaging design, “The Canister”.

Each order was shipped with a Certificate of Authenticity. The certificate was also where we showcased a stamp truly unique to our brand — a stamp in the shape of kuih lapis bearing the line “Untuk Semua Lapisan Masyarakat,” which means “For All Layers of Society.”