UCSI University’s School of Design student, Summaiya Zaheen with her winning design and trophy.

Summaiya Zaheen and Kong Sing Mee shows off their winning designs.

Kong Sing Mee’s winning design for the Creative Shoe Painting Category at the Footwear Creative Design Competition.

DESIGN STUDENT BAGS GRAND PRIZE AT FOOTWEAR CREATIVE DESIGN COMPETITION 14 APR 2011 Inspired by Malaysia: Summaiya Zaheen’s winning Flip Flop design.

Kuala Lumpur, 14 Apr, 2011 - UCSI University’s School of Design came out tops for the Footwear Creative Design Competition at the Malaysian International Show Festival recently. Foundation in Arts student, Summaiya Zaheen bagged the grand prize for the Flip Flop Creative Design category. Summaiya was also placed top 5 in the Creative Shoe Painting category, together with classmate Kong Sing Mee. The International Festival, held at the Putra World Trade Centre, was launched by the Prime Minister’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, and renowned international shoe designer and Malaysia’s tourism ambassador, Datuk Seri Jimmy Choo. 

The Flip Flop Creative Design category drew a crowd of 80 students from various institutions of higher learning, while the Creative Shoe Painting category attracted more than 40 entries. A total of four students from UCSI University’s School of Design entered the Competition. 

Summaiya’s winning design is inspired by her beloved country, Malaysia. “I wanted to reflect the nation’s people of different races and backgrounds. Therefore, my design was painted in vivid colours to reflect this. I also added images of people wearing their own traditional clothes, against a backdrop of Malaysia’s many symbols. This included religious places of worship, such as the temple and mosque, as well as famous icons like the ‘teh tarik’ and durian fruit.” 

Summaiya hopes to one day create her clothing brand that guarantees good quality, at affordable prices. “I want to have a clothing brand that won’t have a price that can give one a heart attack!” she quips. The University’s School of Design regularly enters industry-level competitions such as these for students to apply what they learnt in the classroom in a real-world setting. According to design lecturer, Ms Irene Tan, design is an opportunity for one to tell a story. “Designers are always inspired by their personal experiences and observations around them. Design is just a way for students to tell their story in their own way by transforming their thoughts into a visual piece that enables them to build a relationship with the community and industry through their creative pieces,” she explains. 

Summaiya is looking forward to joining other design-related competitions in the future. “It’s not about winning or losing. Joining competitions brings out my creativity, plus I get to meet a lot of new people with the same interests.”