For fans of local fashion, the label MSYD needs no introduction – and the creative force of the designer behind the name also speaks for itself. Masyadi Mansoor has been carving his path in Malaysia’s fashion scene for years now, starting back when he was still a student.
Today, his design style is truly individual, and most importantly, recognisable. “If you ask me, my style is ‘against the norm’. You could call it streetwear, but it’s different and you can see it in the design, cut and fabrics I use,” Masyadi summarises.
And a clear example of that is the puffer jacket aesthetic, which makes an appearance in all his designs to date, whether in his runway collections or in bespoke pieces for Malaysian fashion icons. “I didn’t invent the puffer jacket, but now it’s become my identity in a way that when people see it, they think of me. I consider that lucky,” he explains. “Some people might say it’s not suitable for Malaysian weather, but it’s definitely lain dari yang lain,” he laughs.
He first made contact with Andrew Tan and the KL Fashion Week (KLFW) team in 2018 when he decided – on a last-minute whim the night before the competition – to join the AirAsia Runway Ready Designer Search programme. The segment aimed to empower young and developing fashion talents in Malaysia and across ASEAN by providing a platform to showcase their work. “That decision was really where my fashion journey began,” Masyadi reflects, and though he didn’t come out as a winner in that first year, it was the choice that led him down his current path.
Since then, Masyadi has been creating and showcasing his works at KLFW almost every year (except for during the pandemic, for obvious reasons), with 2023 marking his debut show on the main stage. This year for his third runway culminating on the KLFW 2025 stage, Masyadi invites us all to step into the world of MSYD, taking the fairytale motif and combining it with his dark and edgy design aesthetics, to solidify the creation of Legend Dystophia.
Opening a portal to the world of MSYD
“I was inspired after watching the local film Magika, which I’ve been watching since I was a kid. Back then, I just saw the film as it is, and I didn’t really know the characters. Now that I’m older, I understand and see that they put their own twist on it. So I thought, ‘what if I make my own version of Magika?’”
And as he set out to do, Legend Dystophia placed characters that came straight out of local folk tales onto the fashion runway, with each of the 25 looks in the collection reinterpreting legendary figures like Puteri Gunung Ledang, Badang, Hang Tuah, and even Bujang Senang into the distinctly against-the-norm style that MSYD offers.
“For me, and for my brand MSYD, I try to create not just a fashion or designer brand. I try to create a space, a world for everyone to grow. Not just for me as the designer, but also for my team, photographers, my models as well,” Masyadi explains. “With Legend Dystophia, it’s like I’ve opened a portal. And here is where I want to welcome everyone into my world.”
Masyadi’s favourite looks from the collection encompasses four looks, which are Bawang Merah (look 18) and Bawang Putih (look 20), as well as their little brothers (look 17 and look 19), roles previously non-existent in folklore but very much real in the world of MSYD. “These stories and these characters, they are created to teach us a lesson. With the story of Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih, it touches on fighting between siblings and so I reimagined them with siblings,” Masyadi says of his choice.
In a way, Masyadi’s Legend Dystophia, and its reinterpretation of what we think we know of these characters, are teaching the audience just like the original inspiration intended to. Based on the feedback he’s gotten so far, it managed to hit home for some, and he explains that “It sparks something, and it makes the audience rethink what they know.”
On collaboration and growth
Practically speaking, MSYD is still largely a one-man show with Masyadi as judge, jury, and executioner. So for him, collaboration is key for him to grow the brand, build on his experience, and take him step-by-step closer to the ultimate goal of going international.
“Collaboration for me is how I learn to upgrade my skills in communication, PR, and more. Every collaboration comes with a different process which I enjoy and I learn a lot from. I would say every collaboration teaches me a lesson – whether it’s what you should or shouldn’t do [when working with others],” Masyadi says.
Masyadi has been lucky in his current list of collaborations too, because every brand he has worked with so far has been on his list, especially in the case of Nike, which was an opportunity that gave him goosebumps when it first came knocking. “It felt like the power of manifestation made it come true,” he starts, recounting the tale of his debut KL Fashion Week 2023 show, when he ran out of yellow zips while right in the middle of the creation process.
In a time crunch and with not a lot of options nearby that had the perfect shade of yellow he needed, he settled for a set of zips from an old sewing supply store that came pre-stamped with the Nike logo. “Backstage during that show, everyone asked what was up with the Nike zips so I jokingly said that I had a collab with Nike coming soom. And then, a few months later, Nike actually approached me,” Masyadi excitedly retells.
And it was a similar tale with AKEMI, the local bedding brand, who approached a few months after Masyadi vocalised that he wanted to try his hands at making clothes out of quilts, comforters, and home accessories. These projects are just two examples from the list of collaborations MSYD has been a part of, alongside H&M, Skechers, and Levi’s. The Levi’s collaboration saw Masyadi working with denim to create a two-piece capsule collection which also debuted at KLFW 2025, during the Levi’s Designer Feature runway.
Coming up next: world domination
“My biggest goal is to go international – and it’s not even for my brand but more a personal goal. Even if not with MSYD but just as Masyadi Mansoor, I’ll be very grateful to go out there and learn more,” Masyadi starts when asked what he plans to do now that KLFW 2025 has wrapped up. “I want to work with all the big houses and gain experience and eventually work with more international clients.”
When asked if he’s already got an idea for what he could bring for next year’s runway, Masyadi still hasn’t decided which direction to take. “The initial idea for my 2025 collection was actually different, it was supposed to be a love story to growing up, to my parents, and my experiences so far. This is still something I’d like to create, but I’m still deciding how to approach it,” he teases.
As to be expected, he is already inundated with requests and inquiries in the days after his show wrapped, and he’s taking it one step at a time while first prioritising rest after working for a month straight in the lead up to KLFW.
If the outcome of his third runway show is anything to go by, there’ll be plenty more to look out for from Masyadi and MSYD in the coming months and years, and we’re glad a talent like him – passionate, humble, poetic, and determined to always tell a story with his craft – is one of the examples leading the charge for the Malaysian fashion scene.
Learn more about Legend Dystophia and stay up to date with Masyadi Mansoor through his Instagram @masyadimansoor, or head to his website to shop his ready to wear pieces.
Read more from our venture Backstage at KLFW here, or click here for more feature stories.
Photography by Imran Sulaiman.