This MBA graduate at Malaysia’s No. 1 fashion house closed Dubai fashion week with Naomi Campbell

In October 2023, Malaysian couture label Rizman Ruzaini made global headlines when supermodel Naomi Campbell walked the runway for their Spring/Summer 2024 collection at Dubai Fashion Week.

For a Southeast Asian couture house to be fronted by the original supermodel, sent a clear message: Malaysian fashion has arrived, and it belongs on the world stage.

But landing Campbell wasn’t easy. Behind the glamour was a rollercoaster of negotiations and challenges.

At the centre of it all was Syed Farradino Omar, an MBA graduate and former TV host who had only recently entered the fashion world. Now serving as Senior Vice President of Brand and Growth at Rizman Ruzaini, Omar worked relentlessly behind the scenes, chasing leads, and navigating high-stakes conversations.

“We fought tooth and nail to make it happen,” Omar says.

Omar reveals they fought hard to secure Naomi Campbell for the Dubai Fashion Week show. Source: Syed Farradino Omar

A transition a decade in the making

For over a decade, Omar wore multiple hats. At Astro, the country’s leading satellite television and media company, he was a media practitioner, producer, journalist, and presenter. But beyond the newsroom and studio lights, he had another life. He was always an MC at corporate events, launches, and more often than not, fashion shows.

“For the past 13 years, I’ve hosted Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week,” he says. “Even when I was studying in the UK, the organiser of KL Fashion Week, Andrew Tan, flew me back. In his words, ‘I don’t think I can do this without you.’ So I returned to host the opening, the closing, and everything in between.”

Hosting kept him close to fashion. His circle of friends, collaborators, and even social events revolved around the industry. So when the founder of Rizman Ruzaini offered him a role, it felt like an obvious, if slightly daunting, step forward. It was a leap into a completely new world. But it was also one filled with familiar faces.

Despite the decade-long connection, stepping into the business side of fashion was a different game. Omar had to learn quickly and thoroughly, especially since he was stepping into a leadership role, tasked with expanding the brand’s presence beyond Malaysia.

What kept him grounded through this whirlwind? His MBA, which he earned from Royal Holloway, University of London.

“I think I would have struggled without my MBA jumping into this industry,” he says. “Not because of the industry itself, but because of the work I’m expected to do and the position the company is in right now.” 

Omar is a storyteller with a knack for business, having spent over 18 years in media, branding, and communication. Source: Syed Farradino Omar

It wasn’t just the knowledge of business models or strategy — it was the confidence to make calls under pressure. Launching in new markets meant tackling funding, finding supply chain partners, and choosing the right investors. Not just deep pockets, but people with retail insight and operational know-how.

Without the MBA, Omar admits, many of these decisions would have felt overwhelming. “Yes, you can learn by doing, but the MBA accelerated everything,” he says. And in my role, I had to move fast, and the MBA gave me the tools to do just that.”

After completing the one-year MBA, he returned to Malaysia and resumed work at Astro.

COVID-19 then hit. The world changed, and so did his outlook. He realised that in a rigid corporate structure, upward movement often required someone else to leave. 

“When the opportunity came to switch industries and work in fashion at Rizman Ruzaini, I took it,” Omar says. “And now, I’m at the busiest point in my life, but I’m genuinely happy where I am.”

In 2019, Omar earned an MBA from Royal Holloway, University of London, as a Chevening Scholar, with a focus on media business in a digitally disrupted world. Source: Syed Farradino Omar

Getting Dr Naomi Campbell to represent Rizman Ruzaini

Within two weeks of joining the team, Omar was thrown into his first real challenge. Rizman turned to him and asked, “Why don’t we try Dubai?”.

With little time to settle in, Omar had to move and think even faster. His most straightforward entry point into the Dubai market was through Dubai Fashion Week. 

In the global fashion world, Dubai Fashion Week is gaining serious traction. While the Big Four — London, Paris, Milan, and New York — still dominate, Dubai quickly emerges as the unofficial fifth. It’s where designers show off their creativity, craftsmanship, and vision internationally, in a market where prestige and luxury reign supreme. For Omar, it was a golden opportunity to launch with impact.

The process to get in wasn’t simple. “When I applied to the Arab Fashion Council for a slot, it felt like applying to university all over again,” he says. “We had to submit an application, attend 2–3 interviews, present our portfolio, etc.”

After weeks of waiting and preparing, the Arab Fashion Council came back with a response: “We like your collection. Your level of artisanal work is beyond a lot of others we’ve seen here. We want you to close Dubai Fashion Week.”

Omar believes that breaking into Malaysia’s fashion industry requires a lot of hard work. The industry is small, but he says those who put in the effort and think beyond local opportunities will find much more out there. Source: Syed Farradino Omar

Now that they had the closing slot, there was no turning back. They had to deliver a show that would not only impress but also leave a lasting impression. That meant going big. And in fashion, there’s no bigger than Naomi Campbell, a global icon. 

“Technically, the term ‘supermodel’ only applies to those from the 90s — Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, etc,” Omar says. “The newer models are big, but they’re not OG supermodels. Plus, Naomi is someone Rizman and Ruzaini have always admired. So we thought, why not try to get her?”

The initial conversation with Naomi’s agency began in June 2023. Back then, her rate was within reach. But by September, everything changed. Naomi opened Vogue World in London and attended, and walked, the Dolce & Gabbana show in Milan. That momentum drove her rate up.

Omar and his team were stunned when the agency returned and said, “The original price no longer applies. Her new rate is three times higher.”

It felt like a deal-breaker. But then came a glimmer of hope. Naomi wanted to see the dress.

“When she saw a picture of the dress, she said, ‘OK, scrap it. Bring the price back down to the original,” Omar says.

The design had won her over. 

Omar shares that after working with them, Naomi became a true supporter of the brand. Source: Syed Farradino Omar

But even then, there were still massive logistical hurdles, as expected when flying in a global megastar into one of the busiest airports in the world. However, a compromise was soon reached, and Naomi flew in. She walked the show. And more than that, she connected with the brand.

“The best thing is, after she worked with us, she became a good friend of the brand,” Omar says. “When she returned to London, she immediately reached out to the curator of the Naomi: In Fashion exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and insisted that our dress become part of her story — part of her exhibition.”

And from June last year until April this year, the Rizman Ruzaini dress was part of the Naomi: In Fashion exhibition at the V&A.

For Omar, it was more than a career milestone. It was every ounce of his blood, sweat, and tears stitched into one unforgettable moment. 

And now, things are only accelerating. “As a brand, we’re on the brink of something greater,” he says. 

“And what makes it even more exciting for me is that much of this growth will fall on my shoulders. This means diving deeper into new markets, particularly the MENA region, and launching soon in Europe. We are truly living the ethos of the brand, the vision that everyone at the company holds close to their hearts, which is to ‘be an inspirational brand that will put Malaysia on the world fashion map’.