With a pencil in hand and sketches spread neatly across his desk, Hafiz Yassin studies the lines of a silhouette before refining its proportions. Fabric swatches sit beside him, carefully selected for weight and movement. For Hafiz, every design begins with intention.
Fashion has long been a constant in his life. Raised in a multicultural household filled with colour, prints and textiles, he grew up surrounded by visual stimuli that quietly shaped his creative instincts.
“I’ve always liked to draw when I was little,” he shares. “In school, art and language were always my favourite subjects. I was also quite imaginative and loved creative projects.”
As a teenager, he found himself assisting his older sister in designing wedding attire for a cousin. He produced more than 20 sketches for the occasion.
“They thought they were really good,” he recalls. “After that, a few of my sister’s friends asked me to design outfits for them. It went from doing favours to actually making money out of it.”
While fashion began as a hobby, clarity came later during his studies abroad. Encouraged by family and friends, Hafiz decided to pursue design full-time. He also recognised a gap in Brunei’s creative landscape at the time.
“We had lots of tailors, but not many designers,” he shared.
Designing with structure and soul
Hafiz described his design philosophy as a balance between elegance, function and longevity. Beyond visual appeal and impeccable finishes, he places strong emphasis on versatility and sustainability.
“A garment that can be worn in different styles or occasions, and made from sustainable materials, will outlast a once-off piece,” the creative designer explained.
“The cost per wear becomes lower, and the longer you keep a garment, the better it is for our environment,” he continued.
He is particularly drawn to silhouettes, viewing them as the foundation of design. The silhouette, he explains, structures the message a designer is trying to deliver. It is the grammar of fashion and the first thing seen from 50 feet away.
Yet for Hafiz, structure alone is not enough. He designs for the emotions a garment evokes, whether it is a bias-cut silk dress that feels like a second skin or a sharply constructed suit that feels like armour once worn.
For the fashion designer, storytelling is central to his process. He begins each project by connecting with his clients and listening closely.
“Every good designer is also a good storyteller. I love to let my clients tell me their stories. That allows me to imbue their essence into the design and make it more personal,” he shared.
When designing textiles, particularly scarves, narrative plays an even bigger role. “The story greatly determines the direction of the collection,” he addsed.
At the same time, he remains grounded in practicality. Form follows function, he shares, is a mantra any good designer needs to live by. Designers can easily be swept away by creativity and forget about the wearer. Unless the clothes are meant purely for display, function must take precedence, with artistic or signature touches added only after that foundation is secured.
Woven between tradition and innovation
Although trained in traditional sketching, Hafiz embraces digital tools as part of his evolving practice. He sees no divide between the two.
“Hand sketches give a different feel compared to digital ones. They teach patience and embracing imperfections,” he said.
“Digital design allows speed and accessibility. You can deliver ideas to clients wherever and whenever. The medium may differ, but the objective remains the same: to bring an idea into realisation,” he added.
His adaptability is reflected in his collaborations. One of the most notable works was his partnership with Jab Gym, where he ventured into performance wear with a narrative-driven concept.
“The collaboration was born from the philosophy that high-performance apparel should serve as a vessel for community storytelling, specifically honouring the female fitness journey,” Hafiz explained.
“At the heart of the Game Changer collection was the butterfly, representing metamorphosis under pressure. Each piece was designed to mirror that internal evolution, transitioning from supportive foundations to silhouettes that evoke freedom. For me, it proved that fashion can construct a sense of belonging,” he further added.
Working with Mumtaz introduced him to the world of high-end textile design and embellishment. The experience expanded his technical understanding of fabrics, finishes and precious stones, including collaborations that reached international platforms.
“Growth is found at the intersection of discomfort and ambition,” he reflects. “By embracing the fear of a new medium, a designer can uncover a more expansive creative identity.”
When collaborating with established brands, Hafiz is mindful of protecting his creative voice. “It is about finding the common thread,” he shares. “You innovate within their DNA rather than overriding it. The final output should feel like a natural evolution while still bearing the thumbprint of your creative hand.”
Threading a path for the industry
Reflecting on Brunei’s fashion scene, Hafiz describes it as a micro market that is still discovering its identity. He has witnessed encouraging growth over the years, with more local brands emerging and experimenting.
“If you want to go fast, you walk alone. If you want to go further, you walk together,” he says, emphasising the importance of collaboration and open dialogue within the industry.
He also highlighted the need to revive and preserve Bruneian tenunan, noting that collective effort and institutional support are essential to safeguarding the country’s textile heritage.
One of the most defining challenges in his journey has been balancing artistic integrity with commercial relevance. In an industry that constantly celebrates the new, staying authentic can feel daunting.
For Hafiz, staying relevant is not about chasing every trend. “It is about having the courage to evolve your visual language without losing your soul. That vulnerability has become my greatest creative catalyst. It pushed me into high-stakes collaborations and forced me out of my comfort zone,” he said.
For Hafiz, longevity lies in continuous growth and honest self-reflection.
As for what lies ahead, he remains quietly optimistic. “I am currently in talks of doing something very exciting,” he shared with a smile. “But I am keeping that under wraps for now.”
In a studio filled with sketches and stories, Hafiz Yassin continues to shape garments that go beyond fabric and thread. For him, fashion is not only about how something looks. It is about how it feels, what it represents and the narrative it carries forward.
THE BRUNEIAN | BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
