Looking for gifts but sick of the typical, expected stuff? These Malaysian brands create unique, meaningful items that make gifting truly special. (Left image by @chanrak.my. Right image by @chubbies.my)
If you are looking for birthday presents, corporate gifts, or alternatives to the highly popular, collectable blind boxes, you can’t go wrong with shopping local. Not only can you find products that uniquely represent Malaysian culture and identity, you will also be supporting local creatives. From plushies to bath products, these brands offer products that are made with love, cultural pride, and sustainability in mind.
Royale Culture by Komuniti Tukang Jahit (KTJ)
There’s something for everyone at Royale Culture. Their bags, pouches, and accessories turn ordinary objects and food ubiquitous to Malaysian lives into functional everyday-carry items. If you’re shopping for the festive season, they have you covered with hampers and gifts for Chinese New Year, Aidilfitri, Deepavali, and Christmas. Best of all, you will be supporting a cause with each purchase.
As a platform created by the social enterprise KTJ (also known as Tailors Community of Malaysia), every item sold is handcrafted and handsewn by women of the B40 community, the lowest income group in Malaysia, consisting of 40% of the population. Through this platform, KTJ empowers single mothers, women with disabilities, and stay-at-home mothers with the opportunity to earn a sustainable income through sewing within the comfort of their own homes.
Chubbies
Bag charms are all the rage these days, and understandably so. It’s impossible to resist a cute, squishy, emotional support buddy that accompanies you on your daily commute, errands, and travels. That’s the idea behind Chubbies, Malaysia’s first and only plushie brand inspired by our best-loved foods. Founded in 2024 by couple Ian Gan and Jess Ho, each in-house-designed and adorably-named Chubbie comes with a keyring to hang them on your bag.
Potions
In a desperate pursuit to heal their hypersensitive-prone skin, sisters Sharmini Ramani and Sharmila Ramani turned to their legacy of rich Indian culture and rediscovered the ancient system of Ayurveda. From there, an all-natural skin care brand was born in 2016.
Staying true to their principle of ‘no artificial ingredients and harmful toxins’, all of Potions’ formulations are made with ingestible ingredients, adhering to the Ayurvedic Principle, “If you can’t eat it, it doesn’t belong on your skin”. If you’re tired of off-the-shelf skincare and beauty products claiming to be ‘chemical-free’ only to have it aggravate your skin, Potions may just have been what you’re looking for.
For those who fancy personalised fragrances, Potions offers perfume-making workshops for small groups. You can also book their perfume bar for social or corporate events, where party guests can have the interactive experience of making their own scents.
Salang Design
Since its inception in 2016, Salang Design is on a mission to promote Malaysian culture through the art of embroidery. With stockists all over the country, their locally designed and manufactured line of embroidered patches, keychains, and pins let you own a tangible slice of everyday Malaysian life. Not only do their products encourage you to be creative with customising your clothes, bags, shoes, hats, and notebooks, they give you a sense of belonging.
Ana Tomy
Founded in 2016 by Cliff Leong, Fidella Ch’ng, and Zeejay Wong, Ana Tomy is a lifestyle, gifts, and stationery brand that celebrates creativity and individuality with customisable planners. Self-described as “Designed in Malaysia, for thinkers, makers, and dreamers everywhere,” owning a personalised Ana Tomy notebook is a form of self-expression.
The brand currently has several store locations locally with ambitious plans for expansion abroad and more creative collaborations with artists. While you can customise your order via their official website, the Ana Tomy experience is best had in person at one of their physical locations, where you can design your planner or notebook on the spot.
Wunderbath
When nutritionist Evelyn Marieta noticed a lack of colourful lip balms on the market, she decided to formulate her own. Her hours after work spent on experimenting with food ingredients to create chemical-free cosmetics and bath products, led to the creation of Wunderbath in 2015.
Made from scratch with the promise of no animal testing, Wunderbath products are designed to add a dash of fun and humour to the otherwise mundane daily bath routine. Gift shopping has never been made easier, as they have themed products for every festive season and occasion celebrated in Malaysia, with options for customised bulk and corporate orders too. You can also book virtual or on-site workshops to create products with the founder herself.
If you think bath products can’t get any quirkier and innovative, check out their ultra-realistic food soaps that look good enough to eat (but you can’t and shouldn’t)!
