Before this, cheongsams and samfus for kids were mostly available in Chinatown, not exactly the most ideal shopping destination, especially with children in tow. Thankfully over the years, more brands have started to cater to this growing market and one no longer have to brave the heat of Petaling Street for Chinese New Year outfits.
Here are 10 places to shop for Chinese New Year clothing for the kids this year:
1. Pokoks
Pokoks’ contemporary reinvention of traditional wear with a sleek and simple silhouette will definitely appeal to the minimalist parents. The brand’s latest Chinese New Year collection, LIMAU 2019, incorporates Malay design elements into traditional Chinese costumes, which perfectly portrays Malaysia’s multicultural society.
Price range: RM68 to RM122
Age range: 1 to 14 years old
Gender: Boys and girls
Shop: https://pokoks.com
2. Maison Q
Maison Q’s unique reversible outfits are double the fun and double the mileage. A favourite from the collection is the Minmin dress, an asymmetrical hemline cheongsam with traditional scallop print on one side, and when flipped inside out, voila, you now have a blue striped cheongsam. Some items are designed exclusively for specific retailers to commemorate the first year in the Malaysian market, such as the pink Sheila Onesie featured above which can only be found at Shoes, Shoes, Shoes.
Price range: RM179 to RM360
Age range: 6 months to 8 years old
Gender: Boys and girls
Shop: HappiKiddo, The Gardens Mall and IPC Shopping Centre.
ShoesShoesShoes, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Publika and Jalan Telawi.
3. Ginger Duck
The Chinese New Year collection from Ginger Duck is 100% locally handmade, no mean feat considering the vast array of cheongsams, tunics and dresses available for adults and children. Each piece has a quirky characteristic; psychedelic print collars, parrot prints and my favourite – a pastel blue cheongsam with batik collar and flouncy skirt. There are plenty of matching outfits available for mother and son, brother and sister and father and son. Definitely a brand to check out.
Price range: RM88 to RM108
Age range: Infant to 10 years old
Gender: Boys and girls
Shop: 163 Retail Park, Mont Kiara (pop-up store from 21 Dec to 31 Jan )
Bangsar Shopping Centre concourse, Bangsar (10 Jan to 4 Feb)
Button and Wheel, Gamuda Walk, Kota Kemuning
Robinsons, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City
4. Tesco
Yes, you heard right. Every year, Tesco has a wide range of Chinese New Year outfits for children and adults, from lace qipaos to tutu dresses with Mandarin collars and Tang suits (tunic with Mandarin collar and frog buttons) paired with shorts for the boys. The affordable price tag is definitely an additional plus point because your kids are only going to wear them a handful of times before they outgrow it.
Price range: RM19.95 to RM80
Age range: 1 to 10 years old
Gender: Boys and girls
Shop: Most Tesco outlets nationwide
5. Lazada
Warning: you may end up spending hours browsing through Lazada. A search for “girls cheongsam” and “boys Chinese New Year” produced hundreds of results from traditional designs to updated versions of classic Chinese costumes to cotton onesies with cheongsam collar and frog buttons. Tip: if you’re worried that delivery will not be in time for Chinese New Year, select vendors that ship from Malaysia.
Price range: Prices start from RM10
Age range: Infants to teenagers
Gender: Boys and girls
Shop: www.lazada.com.my
6. Tiny Button
This brand has beautiful cheongsams in pastel colours (as well as the traditional red) and boys tunics. Best of all, they’re made from lightweight cotton, perfect for sweltering Chinese New Year weather. They also have cute cotton cheongsam tops which can be dressed down with leggings or dressed up with a tutu skirt. Oriental-themed ensembles are available throughout the year, so do check out Tiny Buttons if your child has a Chinese wedding to attend.
Price range: Prices start from RM10
Age range: Infants to 5 years old
Gender: Boys and girls
Shop: http://www.tinybutton.co
7. Whitesoot
One of the perquisites of having daughters is matching outfits! If you’re thinking of twinning this Chinese New Year, you can find mother and daughter cheongsams at Whitesoot. From personal experience, getting kids dressed on CNY morning can result in tantrums, “I don’t want to wear that!” “I don’t like that!” But when you tell them that mummy will be wearing the same outfit too, they will put it on with no more complaints because, hey, who doesn’t want to look like mummy (milk it while you can, this generally expires around the age of 8).
Price range: RM95 (for kids) to RM229 (for adults)
Age range: 2 to 9 years old (sizes tend to run a little small)
Gender: Girls only
Shop: https://whitesoot.com
8. Sea Apple
This Singaporean kids’ wear brand was named after the sturdy sea apple tree. The trees were originally planted as firebreaks along the borders of highly flammable lalang wasteland in Singapore as the tree does not burn easily. The brand’s ethos is to produce high-quality garments with classic lines using natural, comfortable materials that are suitable for everyday wear. Materials are from brand name fabrics, European and Japanese mills (there are several Liberty London pieces in this year’s CNY collection). What I love is the embroidery detail on many of the pieces featuring local plants and flowers, ie: bunga gambir, nutmeg flower, banana tree, etc.
Price range: RM120 to RM272
Age range: 6 months to 12 years old
Gender: Boys and girls
Shop: https://seaappleshop.com
9. Chinatown Classic
Chinatown Classic has a range of casual cotton cheongsams and tunics to traditional satin brocade gowns. Besides clothing, there are also Oriental accessories such as embroidered handbags, beaded slippers, purses, hats, and so on. The brand has three stores but the display at Robinsons in The Gardens Mall has the largest selection for kids.
Price range: RM65 to RM250
Age range: 1 to 12 years old
Gender: Boys and girls
Shop: Robinsons, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley City
Suria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur
Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur
10. Major Departmental Stores
Most major departmental stores have extensive selections of Chinese New Year clothing. Home brands such as J Kids (Aeon) and Somerset Bay (Metrojaya) have charming outfits to offer at very affordable prices. Another brand to look out for is Purple Fish. Pro shopper tip: do go as soon as the malls open to beat the crowd and queue.
Price range: RM35 to RM250
Age range: 1 to 12 years old
Gender: Boys and girls
