Creative brand celebrates colours, sights, sounds of country with modern illustrations
As Malaysia Day approaches, we fly the Jalur Gemilang, hum familiar patriotic tunes and celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures that define our land.
Yet, beyond the grand parades and national speeches, a quieter cultural movement has been brewing — one captured in the vibrant stroke of an artist’s brush and the nostalgic glow of local stories.
At the centre of this movement is Loka Made, a homegrown creative design firm that has spent nearly a decade quietly redefining Malaysian souvenirs and visual storytelling.
Rentak Malaysia
For 2026, it celebrates the patriotic season with its Rentak Malaysia campaign, coming out with items such as deskmat, Touch ‘n Go card, umbrella, tote bag, stampbook, enamel pin, gachapon and more.
Managing director and co-founder Audrey Chew said in supporting Visit Malaysia 2026, it launched Rentak Malaysia last month, its Malaysia Tourism Year artwork featuring the colours, sights and sounds of the country.
“This year, it is all about IYKYK (if you know, you know) memes, which point to an inside joke, a shared memory or a hidden reference. Just like its name, Rentak Malaysia highlights the everyday rhythm of what it’s like living in the country through a playful visual approach with lots of IYKYK moments,” Chew, 36, told theSun.
“No tarik, not menarik”, “bet you did nasi that coming” – these are just some of the quirky lines seen in its latest campaign. Of course, lively, cheeky and fun-filled designs take centrestage, packed with moments only true Malaysians would understand.
“After so many years of producing the usuals, we can’t use the Petronas Twin Towers again and again. We want to showcase unique local items, something that is fun to connect with, where tourists will find it interesting and locals find it charming,” Chew explained, adding that its Merdeka campaign started in 2014 and has remained a yearly affair since.
Local + imagination
Founded in 2015, Loka Made began with a simple premise: To reassemble and rediscover everyday Malaysian elements through creative imagination.
Before Loka Made came into the picture, local souvenirs often languished in predictable territory, largely limited to mass-produced pewter miniatures, standard keychains or generic landscape postcards. Loka Made turned that model on its head by asking a fundamental question: What if the mundane details of daily Malaysian life were treated as works of art?
Chew said her illustrator-business partner Chong Fei Giap drew the many facets of Malaysia, including traditional markets and olden-days sundry shops from his childhood memories of growing up in the small town of Seremban. From traditional painting to digital artwork, he drew life in Malaysia, using beautiful illustrations to narrate the story of culture and heritage.
“After we started Loka Made, we discovered there are so many hidden gems in Malaysia, from food, culture, places to art. Living in a multiracial country means there is a wealth of cultural gems that we haven’t discovered. Only Malaysia has this and I’m proud to be a Malaysian,” Chew said.
With over 2,000 stockkeeping units and a team of 10 artists and designers, Loka Made is slated to welcome its next outlet in Merdeka 118 in November, in addition to its six outlets in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Malacca and Singapore.
Spreading beauty of Malaysia through art
Walk into bookshops such as Kinokuniya, MPH, Tsutaya, Popular and Eslite that carry Loka Made products and you will also be greeted by a wonderful mix of colour, heritage and whim. If you love stationery, journalling or supporting unique local-made creations, you will love the colourful displays of products that are full of character.
By blending anime-inspired aesthetics, architectural precision and a healthy dose of local fantasy, Loka Made has transformed everything from pop-up 3D greeting cards, jigsaw puzzles, enamel pins, stamp books to limited-edition Touch ’n Go cards into coveted collector’s items.
What started as a modest venture centred on handcrafted pop-up cards has expanded into major corporate collaborations, custom city guides and state-wide cultural mapping projects.
As Malaysia Day arrives, Loka Made stands as an example of modern Malaysian pride. In painting Malaysia not just as it is, but as it could be in our imaginations, Loka Made has given us all a fresh reason to fall in love with home all over again.
