Saturday, October 7, 2017

ALEX CHAN, THE CREATIVE DESIGNER OF BRITISHINDIA FOR 23 YEARS HAS DIED BUT HIS MEMORY AND ESPECIALLY HIS JOKES OF A BLUISH HUE CONTINUE TO LIVE ON IN THE HEARTS OF MANY. PAT LIEW, THE OWNER/FOUNDER OF BRITISHINDIA HOSTED A WAKE IN HIS HONOR AT BRITISHINDIA HEADQUARTERS WHERE FRIENDS AND FANS CAME TO PAY THEIR LAST RESPECTS AND RECALL THE GOOD TIMES. 14-YEAR OLD ALEXANDER QUAY THE SON OF DATO NANCY YEOH AND RONALD QUAY GAVE A MOVING SPEECH WHILE IRON LADY PAT LIEW GAVE A TOUCHING SPEECH BUT I KNEW BENEATH THAT VENEER OF STEEL BEATS A TENDER HEART AS PAT LIEW BROKE DOWN AT THE END OF HER SPEECH AS EXPECTED. PAT LIEW RECOGNISED ALEX CHAN'S LATENT TALENT AND PERSONALLY TRAINED AND GUIDED HIM BEFORE APPOINTING HIM CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF BRITISHINDIA. ALEX CHAN MUST HAVE CONSIDERED PAT LIEW A GODDESS AS HE WORKED FOR HER AND WITH HER ALL HIS WORKING LIFE AND NEVER DECAMPED DESPITE OFFERS FROM OTHER FIRMS. PAT LIEW WORE ONE OF ALEX CHAN'S OUTFITS HE MADE FOR HER AND ASKED ME WHY I LOOKED LIKE A PLAIN JANE AS I DID NOT WEAR ONE OF HIS EMBELLISHED SHIRTS HE GAVE ME. SAID PAT LIEW, "ALEX WAS THE MOST TALENTED DESIGNER I KNEW AS HE PRODUCED 6 COLLECTIONS A YEAR OF A CONSISTENT QUALITY AND WORLD CLASS STANDARD THAT SOLD LIKE HOT CAKES."

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

WHEN I ARRIVED WITH ROLV REISSIGER AND ALEXANDER QUAY (DATO NANCY BEING ABROAD), AND BEFORE I COULD PROFFER CONDOLENCES, PAT LEW SAID "NOW WHO IS GOING TO GIVE YOU THE FANCY CLOTHES?"


Being the professional tycooness, Pat Liew normally gives me a fancy and pricey outfit around Christmas and since my birthday is on 7 January, she always says the gift is for both occasions.


So I had to phone her right hand man Alex Chan who is, was, more generous! 


Now I have to work on Pat Liew who is immune to my wiles!


Only this April, Pat Liew took Alex Chan to one of their numerous overseas trip, this time a 2-wwek cruise. But the signs were showing as Alex Chan had to be hospitalised in London. Still no one expected him to enter heaven so soon! We assumed it was a heart attack as Alex's family did not bother with an autopsy as everyone knew he was far closer to Pat Liew than his own parents and siblings who disapproved of his alternative lifestyle.


After moving speeches by Alex Chan's nearest and dearest, Alexander Quay gave the final speech. Despite his tender age, Alex Quay writes his own speech and this is what he said.

**************************************


"Good evening ladies and gentlement. For those who don’t who I am. My name is Alexander Quay my age is 14 and I’m Dato Nancy’s son. My mother is best friends with someone called Auntie Pat, but I call her Kai mah. My mother and her have a bond like no other and that brings me to my bond with Uncle Alex Chan.

Uncle Alex and I had a bond back in December 2012 at my Kai Mah’s birthday party which was held at Double Tree. When I first spoke to him, he said he was in the visual merchandising department for britishindia and his duty would be designing the store and the window display which fascinated me. 

So I spoke to him about how he does it. He told me this... “it’s all out of passion because without passion... you won’t go far in life.” That quote from him stood with me for the rest of my life because in order to succeed in life especially in the fashion and retail industry, you need passion. But before that, what is passion?

Passion...
is an intense desire or enthusiasm for something.

And finally passion in my own definition means to have a emotional connection with what you do and what you love.

In my opinion, Uncle Alex has all of that. He loves what he does and tries his best at his lowest times. When Britishindia couldn’t find a designer to create a collection, Alex would be there to take their place.

That is what I call a survivor. A person who pushes through at the his hardest times.

Some fun moments I had with him was when I became an intern at Britishindia a few years back. My Kai mah took me to her office and brought me to his desk and said. Time to get to work. 

So me being me, I got straight to work because of passion. He showed me all the catalogues from different mannequin companies and the different styles and posses. My job was to select the ones that would fit the Britishindia aesthetic, and I must say, I know that brand very well. 

I selected all the different mannequins from different brands by paper tagging the different pages for him to see. After he reviewed it he gave me a high five and said good job! From then on, I knew the fashion industry was for me. 

My prize after that was a tour of the BritishIndia warehouse. Alex took me to where they would keep all the mannequins and the window props. He said “Here’s where we keep all of our broken mannequins and our past window display props.” 

I was intrigued and ask him if I could have one of the mannequins. But to my surprise he said no because they might have to use them for the stores in the coming future.

Some other highlights I had with him before he passed away was when he styled and dressed me for a BritishIndia show at The Stylo Fashion Festival. I wore a big turban with a mini suit.

I would always walk around with him backstage and talk about how I’m going to walk this and that before the show. And that was the last time I got to speak to him.

After STYLO I didn’t manage to say speak to him sadly but even though he isn’t here with us, he is here with us in spirit.

Some last words from me for him:
Hi Uncle Alex, I know your here with us tonight and we all truly miss you with what you have left behind on earth and Britishindia. Your work will always be appreciated and treasured. 

Thank you for not only leaving behind just your footsteps and fingerprints but your legacy. I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye but here’s a goodbye from me.

Thank you!"

A STAR WAS BORN AND NOW GONE! 
ROLV RESISSIGER, PAT LIEW AND ALEXANDER QUAY


IDA MAKING THE FIRST SPEECH
PAT LIEW REMEMBERING HER MOST FAITHFUL AND DEVOTED AND TALENTED EMPLOYEE OF 23 YEARS






PAT LIEW SAID SHE COULD HARDLY LOOK AT ALEX CHAN'S OFFICE WITH HIS EMPTY DESK EACH DAY SHE GOES TO WORK




SAD FRIENDS AND FANS OF ALEX CHAN


SAM LIEW AND IDA YONG




SAM LIEW AND IDA












A WHITE ROSE FOR ALEX CHAN FROM ROLV REISSIGER







SHIRLEY WAS MOST EMOTIONAL AND WHY NOT
A FRIEND LIKE SHIRLEY WHO OPENLY WEPT IS ENOUGH  TO OPEN THE DOORS OF HEAVEN FOR ALEX CHAN










SAM LIEW C0MFORTING SHIRLEY


ALEX QUAY STEALS THE SHOW WITH HIS 14 YEAR OLD SPEECH


























VIDEO CLIPS


THE LAST TRIP TOGETHER LAST APRIL 2017 IN LONDON FOR PAT LIEW AND ALEX CHAN


SEE, EVEN THE QUEEN CAME FOR THE OPENING OF BRITISHINDIA AT CARCOSA SERI NEGARA 26 YEARS AGO


ALEX CHAN






TRIBUTES POURED IN FROM INDIA, CHINA AND SINGAPORE 






















































EVEN THE LATE AND GREAT KING OF THAILAND WORE BRITISHINDIA CLOTHES DESIGNED BY ALEX CHAN!
THIS SHIRT IS BRITISHINDIA
SOME MALAYSIANS HAVE THE SAME SHIRT WORN BY HIS MAJESTY KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ OF THAILAND
THE COURTIERS BOUGHT BRITISHINDIA CLOTHES PRESUMABLY FROM CENTRAL DEPARTMENT STORE AND THE KING OF THAILAND KING RAMA 9 LIKED THEM SO HE WORE THEM AT LEISURE




BOTH KING AND DESIGNER ARE NOW IN HEAVEN WITH GOD


THE MORE FANCY VERSIONS OF BRITISHINDIA
MY FAVORITE
EXQUISITE






I AM SO IMPRESSED AND PROUD THE LATE AND GREAT KING OF THAILAND, KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ WORE BRITISHINDIA CLOTHES FROM MALAYSIA AND DESIGNED BY ALEX CHAN








THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF THAILAND, THAKSIN ALSO WORE BRITISHINDIA! 
THAKSIM AND HIS WIFE 








ALEX CHAN AND ALEX QUAY


ALEX QUAY WITH GODMOTHER PAT LIEW










ALEX QUAY AND HUEY


HUEY AND ALEX QUAY



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