In 2022, something just clicked for Candy Teoh. She’d had a vision to kick-start a fashion business for a while; and when the push finally came to shove, her dream was realised. “I just told myself, go for it,” she says of the making of her homegrown brands, LORD and LADY. “And it’s like a dream come true.”
Now three years later, both LORD and LADY have not only garnered a rapid cult following within the local fashion scene, the brands have also expanded internationally and have been sold at stores in China and Japan. The concept of ‘LORD and LADY’ was born from Candy’s desire to create designs that “make people feel confident when they wear them”. “I think Malaysia, the creative industry… especially fashion, we have a mix of cultures and unique styles,” she adds. “Not everyone has it. And it’s what makes us stand out.”
This blend of culture and convention with edgy style is very apparent in LADY — a clever acronym for ‘Love and Defend Yourself’ — and its pieces; LADY Chinese Checkers Top from its release earlier this year, LADY Qipao Set and LADY Washed Effect Cheongsam Set from the 2024 range. LORD — which stands for ‘Live Out the Real Definition (of life)’ — also keeps to the sentiment, mixing the bold with the conventional.
“I really like how fashion allows people to express themselves and show who they are, with attitude,” Candy muses. Like many girls growing up, she found herself drawn to playing dress-up with her Barbie dolls, fitting them with the different tiny clothes. “I’ve always been more into fashion, beauty, the more ‘pretty’ things. And because I’m a dancer also, I like to wear pretty clothes.” On top of curating fashion- and beauty-centric content on her social media platforms, Candy also dabbles in dancing, often recreating popular online choreography, and even joining in the ‘ExtraL’ and ‘Like JENNIE’ challenge.
Understanding the fashion culture
The key to Candy’s manifestation of her dream is knowing just what works. A lot of the Malaysian public, Candy observes, is drawn to ‘lifestyle’ fashion as opposed to high fashion when it comes to the local scene. It’s a tough career to be in — and this is something she and her friend, fellow brand owner Kittie Yiyi, have talked at length about — but as Candy puts it, “If we’re not [the ones] doing this, then who’s gonna do it?” The audience they can build slowly. But seeing how eager Malaysians are to support high fashion from outside the country, it’s only a matter of time before we would do the same with our own homegrown brands. “Slowly more people will know about it, and then they will start to buy and support.”
Candy is determined to nurture that mindset. “I think there’s still a gap in, like, getting more global exposure and opportunities for our local brands,” she adds. “We need to work harder.” One year after LADY was born, Candy embarked on her own little experiment — she rebranded LADY and launched its first ever bag, but did it in Japan. “So now, everyone’s like, ‘LADY is from Japan,’” Candy laughs. “But I’m like, ‘Um, that’s actually a local brand.” (Which really goes to show certain expectations that the public has, when it comes to the local fashion scene.)
“I’m still learning but the journey and the growth make me who I am today.”
Today, the set of our shoot gives her a great canvas to play with. She is dressed first in a denim-and-pleated skirt combo with the canary yellow Coach Tabby — all bright and bubbly before we switch it up with a cool pairing of grey-on-grey tank and zipper pants. The latter set is much closer to what her brand embodies, but it is a testament to Candy’s own love of the game that she can pull off just about any look confidently.
But that’s not to say she’s never been put in an uncomfortable position before. Just last year, she competed in the Miss Asia beauty pageant (her first ever beauty pageant), and emerged as the second runner-up. “Being in the pageant was not easy because you need to talk, like, spontaneously,” she describes. “The questions that the judges asked, you know, we needed to be in a high-tension situation. Yeah, it’s quite hard. Very, very hard.” So, would you do it again? I ask. “No,” she says with a laugh, “Once is enough. Just for the experience.”
Maintaining a work-work balance
Juggling owning a business and being a full-time content creator sounds pretty challenging, but Candy tells me that she loves the drive. Her content, she’s got it down pat — a regular cycle of Get Ready With Me (GRWM) videos, fit checks, travel dumps, brand deals, even little sneak peeks into her working days. She’s got a natural, near-flawless kind of beauty even when barefaced and her edgy street style, mixed with her dance moves, are sure to draw in a rapidly growing following. She is 27 this year, which means she grew along with the content that so many Zillennials grew up watching, and definitely picked up a few things along the way.
And so right now, her main goal is to see LORD and LADY flourish; getting the name out. “I’m still focusing on growing these brands,” she says, “because I think we still need some time to do some branding, or something else to grow it, because it’s a Malaysian local brand. And also, to continuously create designs that make people feel confident when they wear them.”
Just last year, she managed to take her brands on a large global scale, in Taiwan. “I collaborated with a local brand there for Taipei Fashion Week,” she says. “So, it’s kind of like my dream come true, and for my brand, like, bringing it overseas and to an international level, and all that. It’s been tough too, because everything was too new for me. So, I’m still learning. But the biggest thing I learned, I think, is to be brave when facing my fears. Just go for it.” (This is a sentiment she carries with her throughout everything, it seems.)
What I’ve noticed, scrolling through Candy’s Instagram page, that she prizes the time she has for herself. Occasionally, her content centres around the ‘day in the life’, showcasing what a typical Candy Teoh day looks like — and much of it is spent on herself. “I think I just need some me time,” she settles on, when I ask what would keep her grounded amidst her busy, busy life. “Like, I think everyone is the same, right? Maybe I would hit the gym, or spend time with my dog. I think that’s enough lah. Oh, good food, too!”
Candy also deals with most of the marketing of LORD and LADY, which is a win-win for her — many of her day-to-day videos feature her in her own clothes, casually strutting the streets of KL. Her clothes, as she is often proud to tell me, are made for Malaysians — which means they’re made for our heat and weather, too. They’re ultra-comfortable and chic, and likely inspired by other Asian-adjacent fashions. “I do have my own, like, fashion designers,” she clarifies. “So, I just throw in my ideas. When I see something really interesting, I’ll throw in the ideas and our team will, like, make it happen.”
A future, unwritten
So, what does the rest of the year — and beyond — look like for Candy? Looks like we’ll just have to wait and see. Candy’s creative drive is gunning full speed ahead, and she’s looking forward to keep at it with the support of not only LORD and LADY’s devoted cult followers, but also her family and peers. “They are still very supportive and proud of me,” she says of her family and friends. “Because [they know] it’s quite hard to do business, especially right now. So, I’m also trying my best to carry on with this, because the fashion industry in Malaysia I think is quite challenging.
“I would say that I’m just trying to do my best in every single thing,” she adds. “No one is perfect; I’m still learning, but the journey… the growth is what makes me who I am today. And I hope people can be influenced by me to do the same thing.”
“The biggest thing I learned, I think, is to be brave when facing my fears. Just go for it.”
editor-in-chief & creative direction MARTIN TEO | assisted by RONN TAN & MALLIE MARAN | interview PUTERI YASMIN SURAYA | photography EDMUND LEE (ONE3FOUR STUDIO) | videography POR JIA JUN & STANLEY LOH | makeup KEVIN LEE | hair CODY CHUA | styled by ISAAC CHONG | assistant stylist ZIYIN TAN | wardrobe COACH
