Monday, August 15, 2011

KEITH KEE'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY!

kee@fswmag.com
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Keith Kee, Malaysia's top haute couturier, celebrated his 10th anniversary since opening Keith Kee boutique in 2001. He is the talented, handsome and blessed cousin/brother to Kee Hua Chee

CONGRATULATIONS KEITH KEE, MALAYSIA'S TOP HAUTE COUTURIER ON YOUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY! IT HAS BEEN 10 GLORIOUS YEARS AND YOUR HARD WORK AND DEDICATION IN MAKING WOMEN LOOK EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL AND YOUR TALENT HAVE PAID OFF!
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Keith Kee with his models and celebrity friends


KEITH KEE AND KEE HUA CHEE---ARE WE RELATED? WE MUST BE!
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Jumping for joy

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Jumping for joy at the finale
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Greeting his guests
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What a great success! Well worth the 10 months' work! Here is to the next 10 years, Keith Kee!
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Congratulations Keith Kee---you bring fame to the Kee imperial dynasty like me!
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Keith Kee welcoming his guests, nearly 600 of them!
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After 10 years, Keith Kee is a veteran designer and speechmaker
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At 10 months 10 days old, Ashton Wong was the youngest model and supermodel mum Amber Chia is slightly older at 30.
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Here she is again with baby Ashton at the grand finale in the bridal gown
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This is only her stage husband is Adrian Wong
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One for the souvenir album
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Another!
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No, this is not Cat Woman but Catwalk Guru Benjamin Toong emerging from Keith Kee's keyhole to storm the stage in his new 9-inch heels
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The diva opens up his cavernous cloak worn as a skirt...
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Only Benjamin Toong can do this and carry it through with panache. His skirt is the size of a tent and can accomodate a family of four comfortably I think


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Catwalk Guru Benjamin Toong, Jonathan Tong and Keith Kee
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Drama pose by the Kee-hole!
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Tinie about to take flight

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Red Siren
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From the batek collection
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Purple patriots
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Former Miss Malaysia Soo Wincci sang in honour of Keith Kee
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Light as airy-fairy
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A twirl, swirl and whirl is all that was needed
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Sultry beauty
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Serenaded beauty
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Batek Beauties
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Blue batek beauties
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Always remember---a grand exit is just as important as grand entrance
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The back is as beautiful as the front due to Keith Kee's attention to detail
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Dynastic beauties
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Note the elaborate and refined details that are the hallmark of a Keith Kee gown
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Blue Period
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Dynastic alliance
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Gossamer glamour
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City slickers
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Feathery touch
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Cosmo hunk
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Feathered fantasy couple
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Dazzling
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Golden knight
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Silver knight
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White wonder
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And the couple wore white and red flowers


I AM NOT SURE BUT WHO CARES, WE SHARE THE SAME SURNAME AND THERE ARE PITIFULLY FEW KEES LEFT IN THIS WORLD SINCE OUR ANCESTORS WERE SLAUGHTERED BY THE EVIL COMMUNISTS IN FORBIDDEN CITY. NATURALLY WE HAD IMPERIAL BLOOD AND I WAS SMUGGLED OUT OF FORBIDDEN CITY BEFORE THE COMMIES COULD SLIT MY BABY THROAT AND BROUGHT TO KOTA BARU TO BE RAISED BY THE REMNANTS OF OUR IMPERIAL GUARDS. I THINK SO KEITH KEE WAS ALSO ON THE SAME SAMPAN WITH ME, ALL CLAD IN SWADDLING CLOTHES BUT HE WAS TAKEN TO PENANG.

It is not every day you celebrate the 10th birthday of your business and Keith Kee decided to go all out and stun his guests with a mother of all fashion shows at Renaissance Grand Ballroom. He started work last November as he needed time to create 100 outfits which were modelled by 44 top male and mostly female models. The youngest model was Ashton Wong, who was exactly 10 months and 10 days old! And this was Keith Kee's 10th anniversary! What a glorious coincidence! Trust Amber Chia (Ashton's supermodel mum) to hatch her baby on cue.

The production costs alone topped RM 200,000 which excludes the costs of producing 100 dresses which should cost another RM 100,000 as some were made from recycled fabrics. These leftover fabrics were saved from the thousands of dresses he made over the last decade. These 'Recycled Collection' received much applause from the audience who appreciated the dictum 'waste not, want not'.

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Sky blue wonder
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Femme Fatale
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Pink power is Amber Chia
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Baby Ashton Wong and mum Amber Chia
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White couple
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As she was bride last year, Amber Chia wore this bridal gown with panache
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Power people in purple!
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All New Age grooms like Isaac Ong should wear wedding garments like this
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The Phoenix Princess aka Stefanie Chua
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Esther Tan in a gown like liquid poetry
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Floral femme fatale
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Worthy of an imperial princess
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Tinie in black and gold like the golden pheasant
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Graduating purplish pink fuchsia grand gown
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Jadeite charmer
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Royal purple and jade green make a potent combo
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Beauty queen Soo Wincci is now an accomplished singer
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Dennis Lau
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Top model Kelly Jagan
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Butterfly queen
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Stephanie Chua the vamp
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Kit Leu the Red Siren
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Pamela Yau about to take flight
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Former Miss Malaysia Levy Li


Naturally there were also leftover fabrics from this 'Recycled Collection'! But they were mostly scraps and big enough for patchwork quilts. However my indefatigable cousin Keith Kee (well, now that he is so rich and famous and proven to be so talented I might as well claim to be his relative!) also made use of them! This time not as baby's outfits but handkerchiefs!

Yes, this enterprising designer made lovely hankies from the 'recycled recycles' and sold them to his guests as Keith Kee's 10th Anniversary Limited Edition Handkerchiefs! How ingenious and before you howl 'cheapskate', the money raised did not go into his pocket but towards the World Food Programme! Now, isn't that sweet! Of course we Kees are all like that. Ask William Kee the fashion editor of The Star who is also related to me since he is also super talented and ultra nice guy and cute and well, we Kees are all like that! Few in number but big when it comes to Brains, Beauty and Beatification as we are also saintly that way.

There was also his Transformation Collection which is akin to Transformers as each gown could be worn in two to three or more different ways so you get 2 or 3 or more gowns for the price of one! Times are getting bad so we must squeeze maximum mileage from every baju!

Keith Kee also paid homage to Kee Hua Chee's home town Kota Baru when he travelled to Kelantan, my home state, to draw inspiration and buy materials for his beautiful Batek Collection.

His original guest list was 300 but they kept swelling as word spread he was holding a major show and his phone rang nonstop. Keith Kee was too nice to say 'No' and by the time the last guest staggered home, the tally was 598!

THOSE WHO WISH TO READ ALL THE NITTY-GRITTY DETAILS, HERE GOES;

KEITH KEE COUTURE'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY FASHION GALA
Keith Kee Couture has reached the decade milestone and went all out to usher the festivities by hosting a grand celebration at Rennaisance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. In line with this being a 10th anniversary celebration, the fashion gala, which was emceed by celebrities Belinda Chee and Chris Tong, saw Keith Kee's exquisite designs being presented in ten different concepts or collections. There were cocktail dresses, cheongsams, the 'Recycled' collection, chiffon and lace pieces, the 'Transformation' collection, wedding gowns, earth tone pieces, the batik collection, avant-garde designs and men's collection.

Among the highlight of the show was the 'Recycled' collection, which drew inspiration from environmental and going green initiatives, as Keith Kee created those colourful chiffon dresses by using recycled fabrics. These fabrics were the cut away materials collected from the thousands of dresses he designed over the ten year course of his career. Further leftover materials after the 'Recycled' collection was created did not go to waste, but were used to produce limited edition Keith Kee Couture's 10th Anniversary handkerchiefs!

These designer handkerchiefs were sold to guests at the fashion gala and all proceeds went to the World Food Programme. "I feel extremely grateful to be lucky enough to have achieved all that I have today and that is why I strongly believe in giving back to the community, and by donating to the World Food Programme, I can do my part to assist with their efforts to curb the issue of world hunger," explained Keith Kee.

Also memorable from his latest collections were the 'Transformation' and Batik collections. The 'transformation' collection showcased various couture gowns that can be worn in at least two to three different ways to create different looks. As demonstrated by the models on the runway, some of the long couture gowns 'transformed' into cocktail dresses. As for the batik collection, Keith Kee embarked on a learning journey to Kelantan, which was captured on film, in order to create his own signature batik cloths and in turn, used these traditional materials for dresses with modern designs. Guests got a sneak peek of this entire process during the preview of Keith Kee Couture's documentary.

All in all, these collections featured a hundred different outfits were specially designed for this occasion. These never-before-seen, brand new outfits were paraded by over forty models in a fashion extravaganza that saw many of our country's top models taking on a seventy feet long runway, such as Amber Chia, Tengku Azura, Tinie, Kelly Jagan and Isaac Ong, celebrities Cassandra Patrick, Ken Tan, Stefanie Chua and Katherine Chan, up-and-coming models Wafa de Korte and Kurt Chin and the winner and finalists of the X Top Model Search 2011. Even Ashton Wong, son of Amber Chia, took on the runway for a special appearance, being the youngest model that evening at ten months and ten days old. Catwalk guru Benjamin Toong closed the show by taking over the runway in a men suit with a ten feet long tail, in his signature nine-inch high heels.

This star-studded event, exclusive to the crème de la crème of the fashion, beauty and entertainment industry, saw nearly 600 guests, which included international model and Mister Switzerland 2008 finalist Arnaud Quarré DeChampvigy, Hong Kong artiste Eddie Law, notable industry hotshots Gillian Hung, Winnie Loo and Dato' Lewre Lew, beauty queens Levy Li, Nadine Ann Thomas, Carrie Lee, Nadia Heng, celebrities Angie Seow, Aenie Wong, Emily Lim, Melvin Sia, Suki Low, Desmond Tey, Cheryl Lee, Jason Phang, James Wong and Lawrence Wong. Also present were loyal and regular customers of Keith Kee Couture as well as members of the media. Guests were serenaded and entertained with exclusive performances by beauty queen turned singer Soo Wincci, violinist Dennis Lau, beatboxer extraordinaire Shawn Lee, as well as a special appearance by Korean artiste Lee An.

"I am extremely overwhelmed by all the support and love shown by everyone - my family and friends; celebrities and models; my faithful customers; sponsors and members of the media; and my Keith Kee Couture team - I cannot thank all of you enough! I wouldn't have been able to achieve all I have and be where I am right now if it wasn't for each and every single one of you, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart! For all of you, I will promise to work harder to improve myself and be better," exclaimed a very grateful and emotional Keith Kee.

Generous sponsors of the fashion gala include Runway Productions, Renaissance Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Amber Chia Academy, Kronenbourg 1664, A' Cut Above, Philips, Studio Park Production, Gainen Conceptual Design, Office Cosmetics and Chan Brothers.

Carlsberg Malaysia's Managing Director, Søren Ravn, wished Keith Kee "All the best to Keith Kee Couture on its 10th anniversary showcase. Kronenbourg 1664 is very proud to be part of this beautiful fashion event as the official beer sponsor. The French beer brand has always been about appreciating finer things in life and everything Keith does exudes that elegant touch. Like a Kronenbourg 1664, it is the perfect embodiment of indulgence, luxury and pleasure".

The rest of the year is set to be an exciting time for Keith Kee Couture as it has been selected to be a sponsor for the Miss Chinese Cosmos Southeast Asia finals (in August), as well as the Miss Chinese Cosmos International finals (in October), which will be taking place in Hong Kong, and this is where Keith Kee will be introducing his brand new batik cheongsam collection. He will also be making his debut appearance at the Islamic Fashion Festival 2011 at the end of the year.

ABOUT KEITH KEE COUTURE
From its humble 2001 beginnings in Penang, Keith Kee Couture has come a long way before becoming an established name in the Malaysian bridal and couture fashion industry. The man behind the brand, Keith Kee, who also serves as chief designer, goes by his design philosophy of respecting and appreciating each person's individuality, and believes in working hand-in-hand to co-create an outfit that the client has always dreamed of wearing.

Keith Kee also has the support of a dedicated team, with exceptionally talented, creative and passionate individuals, who specialises in the creation of romantic, timeless and feminine bridal and evening couture wear. Keith Kee Couture believes that each gown and dress is made for a lasting statement, worthy of a lifetime of memories. One of Keith Kee's creations was also recently crowned "Dress of the Year" at the Mercedes-Benz Stylo Fashion Awards 2011. He is also responsible for the RM380, 000 wedding gown of Malaysia's top model Amber Chia.

F-G-42A, BLK F Jalan PJU1/45 Aman Suria Damansara 47301 Petaling Jaya Malaysia Selangor Darul Ehsan T: +60 4 227 1990 Malaysia T: +60 3 7804 9829 E: info@keithkee.com F: +60 3 7804 9394 W: www.keithkee.com

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