Muma Malaysia takes a Grand Prix & Malaysia’s Agency of the Year in its Spikes Asia debut

Muma’s first outing at Spikes Asia has seen the Malaysian-born boutique agency bringing home a Grand Prix in Healthcare, while being recognized as Malaysia’s Agency of the Year, as well as the number 3 Independent Agency in Asia-Pacific.

Here’s the story behind their Grand Prix in Healthcare for the Libresse V-Kebaya campaign.

It started with a brief for a limited-edition pack design and while referring to the Swedish brand’s award-winning global campaign Viva La Vulva as a guide, Muma felt there was an opportunity to create something distinctly local and impactful.

Led by co-creative partners Choo Chee Wee and Donevan Chew, the creative team jumped straight into the challenge, brainstorming and researching design ideas that would appeal to Malaysia’s multiracial society.

That is when they came across the floral embroidery element of the Nyonya Kebaya. The fashion emerged in the 1920s, a time when the Nyonyas dressed in the Baju Panjang to conceal their body. It was semi-transparent, lace-embroidered and has a tighter fit, which accentuated the female silhouette. It defied the conservative fashion which Malaysian women wore, inspiring them to embrace their sexuality. The trend flourished and has since grown to become an iconic piece of Malaysian fashion.

That was when the idea of using an element from culture to break a traditional taboo was born. Malaysian women were bold enough to embrace their sexuality then, so why be shy about it now?

Muma presented the V-Kebaya idea and the client fell in love with the hand-drawn floral design instantly.

It was a painstaking task that resulted in the tasteful reimagining of the two classic floral designs of the Nyonya Kebaya – the Peony and the Chrysanthemum – with the vulva at the heart of each flower.

In a time when designs are usually done on Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, team Muma decided to go old school. Every leaf, every flower, every vulva was handcrafted, just like how a Kebaya craftswomen would do in the past.

Working with local Kebaya craftswomen, the designs were then hand-woven into exquisite pieces of Kebayas. From the fabric to the floral design and embroidery technique, everything was kept as authentic as possible. The only difference was a vulva at the heart of each flower. The change was subtle, but the design was bold.

The fashion was then flaunted by influencers on social to encourage Malaysians to be more open about matters concerning the V-zone.

The designs were replicated on packs, which were sold in stores nationwide as well as on major eCommerce platforms.

Like all good conversation starters, the nation started debating about the bold design with strong views on both sides. “It was really great to see a majority of Malaysians speaking up in support of Libresse and their effort to liberate women from V-zone taboos. I’m truly proud that the campaign did well to get Malaysian women, and even men, questioning the deep-rooted taboo,” said Pang Li Li, co-founder and Managing Director at Muma.

“This win also reflects the strong partnership we have with the client who are passionate about their brand, and bold enough to take on our creative idea and stand by it throughout the ‘national’ debate,” added Pang who also credits the dedicated creative team for their passion and will to create a beautiful and meaningful design in such short time.

Not only did the campaign trend on Twitter, it also sparked conversations on national TV and radio. Even celebrities like Zee Avi, Daphne Iking, Sharifah Amani, and influencers like Jinnyboy and Jenn Chia joined the conversation.

The design also inspired numerous creative expressions of the vulva – from face painting and illustrations to comics and earrings. A local women’s organisation even upcycled the wrappers into pouches for a charity drive.