Malaysian fashion designer Alia Bastamam launched her Resort 2023 collection, aptly titled ‘Oasis’, at The Datai Langkawi in October 2022. The line includes a capsule collection that was inspired by The Datai Langkawi, with six elegant looks available for purchase exclusively at The Boutique of The Datai Langkawi, the aliabastamam.com website or on appointment at the Alia Bastamam showroom in Kuala Lumpur.
For Resort 2023, the Alia Bastamam woman is on a journey to find solitude and beauty in her own Oasis: “With so much happening in our fast-paced world today, sometimes we forget to connect with ourselves. So, in creating this collection, I imagined my Alia Bastamam woman in her piece of paradise where she can escape to rest her body and soul,” the designer quips about her continuous source of inspiration - her Alia Bastamam woman. “I pictured her escaping a dry, chaotic landscape and into this utopia of lush greens, flowing streams of water and the echoing sounds of nature.” Alia takes a breath, as if rejuvenated, “In a sense, it’s a place she can be free, liberated from any constraints; a place she can just be.”
And by just being, the designer creates a collection that truly plucks at her label’s heartstrings - ethereal womanliness to match the Alia Bastamam resort aesthetic. The idea of ‘Oasis’ is imagined with ensembles that seem to belong to desert queens and princesses wrapped in earth tones spotted with bouquets of chartreuse and rose, majestic kaftans in snow white, an array of Alia’s signature pleats made for the warrior woman, soft flowing drapes and wraps to accentuate romance and femininity.
A modern-day Oasis itself, The Datai Langkawi plays a part in this collection with a 6-look capsule collaboration composed of Alia’s signature designs reimagined in custom prints inspired by the resort’s untouched surroundings - from its iconic pond of waterlilies upon arrival to the Butterfly Walk, the secret Crystal Creek, and down to the calming waves of the white sand beaches of the Datai Bay.
“I was invited to escape to The Datai Langkawi, and I fell in love with it immediately. And each time I come back, it feels more and more like home.” Alia speaks of the collaboration design process: “I had a great experience creating these pieces that were inspired by my time here. Surrounded by the lush nature, and with a well-rested mind and body. It was really a joy working on this project - it’s a match made in heaven!”
Arnaud Girodon, General Manager of The Datai Langkawi, adds: “We're delighted about the opportunity to partner with Alia Bastamam on this collection and enter the world of luxury fashion through our brand partnership. We have thoroughly enjoyed this collaboration with Alia Bastamam and her team and are proud of the pieces that have resulted from it – from the waterlily print, over the designs inspired by the crashing waves of Datai Bay, to the elegant dress with touches of our butterfly garden. I’m happy to count Alia amongst our returning guests, and it has been exciting to see how she has translated the beauty of our location into the incomparable pieces of our capsule collection Alia Bastamam x The Datai Langkawi."
A special contribution is being made to The Datai Pledge from all sales of the Alia Bastamam x The Datai Langkawi collaboration: 5% of all sales from all platforms, as well as 50% of the share of The Datai Langkawi of all profits are going to The Datai Pledge, to support the ambitious conservation and sustainability initiatives under the programme, such as a wide-reaching reforestation project, the creation of possibly the first island-wide wildlife corridor connecting fragmented habitats, coral regeneration efforts in Datai Bay, and more.