The BURO Impact Awards celebrates the creativity, originality, passion, and accomplishments of Malaysia’s trailblazing talents. Ahead, find our conversation with our Designer of the Year, Aaron Yong.
In an era where fashion often prioritises spectacle over substance, Aaron Wei Hao Yong distinguishes himself through a rare equilibrium: a crystalline aesthetic vision paired with the deep technical mastery required to realise it. For Yong, design is never decoration—it is construction, intention, and problem-solving. He is, in every sense, both architect and engineer.
That clarity was not always preordained. Though artistically inclined from a young age, Yong never truly envisioned himself as a fashion designer until a scholarship to legendary fashion school, ESMOD, headquartered in Paris, redirected his life’s trajectory. There, he discovered that clothing could be a language—one that demanded emotional honesty, conceptual rigour and technical exactitude. Upon graduating in 2015, he debuted his eponymous label Weihaoyong Studios, marking his first formal step into the industry with a brand grounded in these very principles. It was during these formative years that he began shaping the principles that now define his work: form must always serve function; embellishment should not be a disguise; and a garment should reveal more the longer one studies it.
From Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to Shanghai and Paris, Yong’s work has since expanded across regional and international platforms. Yet the constant through his journey is a design philosophy rooted in structure, material intelligence, and a reverence for craftsmanship. Drawing inspiration from brutalist architecture, engineering logic, and sustainability, his pieces are built—literally and conceptually—with purpose. They are as intellectually rigorous as they are visually arresting, revealing the meticulous thinking embedded within each seam, fold and line.
Ask him what he is proudest of, and he answers simply: he pours his heart and soul into every piece. It is this devotion to both vision and execution that makes him a worthy recipient of the BURO Impact Awards 2025: Designer of the Year—a designer who proves that fashion, at its best, is architecture in motion, engineered with emotion and intention.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
Sustaining my label and turning a profit while doing what I love without ever compromising my aesthetics or beliefs. To be able to create with integrity, and to be surrounded by an incredible support system of my team, clients, family, and friends, feels like the truest success.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?
The skill to sculpt and drape on the stand and the ability to shape fabric in a way that honours the human form.
WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECT HAPPINESS?
Ignorance.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR?
Snails, or anything that takes the form of a spiral.
WHICH LIVING PERSON DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?
Myself, for being alive and well in this very moment.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
The luxury of sleeping an entire day away, doing absolutely nothing.
ON WHAT OCCASION DO YOU LIE?
I’m a terrible liar, but I’ll occasionally tell a white one if it serves the greater good.
WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU HAPPIEST?
I’m content with where I am now in my career though ideally, I’d like to return to the fitness I had two years ago. A balance of both would be nice.
IF YOU WERE TO DIE AND COME BACK AS A PERSON OR THING, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
A red panda.
WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO LIVE?
Kuala Lumpur has treated me well. I’m content where I am.
WHICH HISTORICAL FIGURE DO YOU MOST IDENTIFY WITH?
I’m not particularly drawn to history, but I resonate with Azzedine Alaïa and his principles—his quiet discipline, precision, and devotion to craft.
WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Slow and steady wins the race. A good product is always best when made with patience and preparation.
CREDITS
Editor-In-Chief / JASON LIM. Creative Direction and Styling / SARAH TAI. Text and Interview / JASON LIM. Styling Assisted by / BENEDICT UNANG. Art Direction Assisted by / EVE LYN LAU. Photography / HERRY CHIA EE | HERRY STUDIO ASSISTED BY DAVID ONG & SAMANTHA JANE. Videography / DENNIS KHO ASSISTED BY LEON WONG. Makeup / EZAD IBRAHIM. Hair / BIBIAN FREDERICKS FOR SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL.
Follow Aaron on Instagram here. Find the full list of BURO Impact Awards winners here.
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