Cambodia’s Fashion Scene Steps onto Global Stage at BRICS+ Summit

Marissa Carruthers | Editor

Cambodia’s burgeoning fashion scene was thrown into the international spotlight when a representative from Phnom Penh Designers’ Week joined designers from across the globe for BRICS+ Fashion Summit in Moscow.

At the end of August, Ryan Drewe Taylor, of Drewe Taylor Designs, was invited to represent Cambodia at BRICS+ Fashion Summit as a representative of Phnom Penh Designers' Week, which made its debut in 2011 and has since become a prominent fixture on the capital’s calendar.

The Summit is an international platform that aims to promote emerging fashions markets, bringing together more than 100 emerging and already established countries from across multiple continents, including Africa, Asia and South America.

“It was an incredible experience. It was amazing to learn from other countries, like Guatemala, Benin and Ghana, and learn that Cambodia’s fashion scene is not so behind,” Taylor told Kiripost from his salon, The Dollhouse, and boutique store, Shade240.

“The most important thing that I got from it was making people aware that there is a new breed of designers in Cambodia who are eager, and extremely creative.”

Taylor added that it also provided a platform for fashion leaders from other countries to learn about the industry in Cambodia. “I was able to share that Cambodia has a fashion industry. Many thought it was only the garment industry. I explained, we're not just factories.”

Online and offline retail

The event involved various panel discussions, with Taylor joining a panel of four about the digital transformation of the global fashion industry, where he shared the landscape in Cambodia.

“In Cambodia, we've been getting a lot of big brands recently. One of the struggles for designers in Cambodia is that everybody wants to go to the new stores. So, for example, when the new H&M opened, people wanted to go there for the experience,” he said.

Taylor added that while online shopping has become popular in the West, there is a shift to hybrid shopping. He pointed to online retail store ASOS, which has started holding offline pop-up stores.

“Brands like ASOS, which have only ever been online stores, are now doing pop-ups. Why? Because people want to be immersed in the whole experience. Feel the clothing and try it on,” he said, adding that Phnom Penh’s current compact size makes it easy to shop in person,” he noted.

“There have been some companies that have tried the online thing here, but it didn't work out. I don't think we're there yet. But, as the city grows and becomes a lot more intense, that's when people's lives become more intense and they start to order online because they don't have the time.”

Sustainable fashion

“It really opened people's eyes that Cambodia actually has a fashion scene because, to them, all they knew was the garment industry,” Taylor said, adding that he was also able to inform global industry players about the sector’s sustainability.

“I said, we have quite a lot of brands, like Dorsu, that are sustainable. A lot of Asia and Africa are dumping grounds from Western garment factories. So, in a way, here, you end up being sustainable without actually trying,” he said.

“We don't have big stores where you get imported fabrics from Paris. You go to the market and buy fabric rolls that are cast offs from garment factories. People were amazed and surprised at what a scene we have. While the garment industry generates billions for the country, the fashion industry is completely separate.”

Cambodia’s evolving fashion scene

As a Cambodian resident of 17 years, Taylor, who originally hails from South Africa, has witnessed the Kingdom’s fashion scene grow from a handful of - mostly foreign - designers to today’s exciting collection of young Cambodians shaping the scene.

“The young generation has been instrumental in pushing the fashion scene. When we did the first fashion week in 2011, there were no local designers. There were also no design schools. Now we have Raffles and Limkokwing, and others. Everything has creatively shifted.”

He added that Phnom Penh Designers’ Week has provided Cambodian creatives with a platform to shine, sponsoring and mentoring one young designer for each edition. Many have gone on to become independent designers or work for fashion stores, such as Zando.

“Most importantly, for the whole industry to keep growing, is that the young designers can continue to be able to express themselves, and that there is freedom of expression,” Taylor stated.