Sheng Tai International (STI) Sdn Bhd, a visionary development company founded by a charismatic property developer Dato’ Leong Sir Ley held its inaugural Straits Gala 2023 at The Sail Superdome, located at its iconic mixed-use development, The Sail Malacca, in Malacca on January 13.
Around 1,000 people attended, including international investors from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, China, Dubai, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, the Middle East, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and others. It is a significant step toward STI’s vision of helping UNESCO World Heritage City take on another accolade of international fashion city as well.
“When the lockdown was lifted after three years of living under a worldwide pandemic, I recognised the emergence of a ‘new language’ centred on initiatives such as art and culture, wellness, fashion, and artificial intelligence (AI),” said Leong.
She has over 10 years of experience in the real estate industry and serves as an advocate and solicitor in Malaysia. With that, she brings considerable expert knowledge and business acumen to her role as the founder and principal of STI.
“It inspired me to gather international business owners from around the world to come to The Sail and help us start new businesses, create job opportunities, facilitate the import of talents into the city, and showcase Melaka on the international stage through these initiatives,” she said.
The Straits Gala 2023 brought together global entrepreneurs at The Sail Malacca. There was strong interest from Japanese businesses in wellness and art and culture initiatives, as well as Russians interested in the AI space and others interested in the other initiatives, all of which were supported by STI’s core strength of property tourism.
International and local guests were treated to a fashion parade showcasing the talent of designers from the Straits Designers’ Gallery (SDG) as well as international labels.
In an effort to develop new talent, the line-up also included fashion graduates from the University Technology Mara (UiTM). The word “impressive” best describes their incredible designs, which served as the show’s opening act.
Malaysian designers included Bill Keith, co-founder and fashion director of SDG, as well as MMG by Gillian Hung, Carro, Ashely Wong, Key Ng, Variante, Yani Bakhtiar, Faramas, and Angelique. There was a wide range of designs available, from glam looks to golf apparel and new gen style.
There were two designers from Sarawak — Dian & Norule showcased vibrant colours in contemporary fashion, while Nasha Prive featured Borneo motifs in edgy attire.
The international fashion designers and labels are Aurantier (Japan); Myriad Grand Monde (Thailand); Gina Frias (Philippines); Yongki Komaladi, Erdan, and Djoko (Indonesia).
The event also served as an evaluation platform for Fashion TV Academy Malaysia’s trained models, with top graduates eligible to compete in international FashionTV Paris events.
Guests were also treated to spectacular performances by talented artists such as violin virtuoso Megan Mei and popular singers Jaclyn Victor and Kenny Low in the evening.
Leong’s ambition includes helping in the creation of job opportunities that will lead to a higher standard of living as prosperity flows into the area, beginning with jobs in the fashion and arts through her SDG and FashionTV Malaysia modelling academy.
“What we have accomplished thus far would not have been possible without the Melaka state government’s and FashionTV’s support. The STI team, in particular, is looking forward to working closely with the state government in the future to launch our new initiatives, which we hope will attract even more investors and visitors to this historic state,” she said.
Yang di-Pertua Negeri Melaka, Tuan Yang Terutama Tun Seri Setia (Dr) Hj Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam also expressed his support and appreciation towards Leong.
“I am happy to support and encourage Dato’ Leong’s initiatives to develop existing business opportunities as well as to encourage new business migration. She accomplishes this by combining art and culture, fashion, wellness, and artificial intelligence initiatives with property development,” he said.
