Not content with his dealings in evening gowns and London Fashion Week, Malaysian wunderkind designer Bernard Chandran has extended his reach into streetwear. And of course, not just any streetwear – hip, international brands hitherto unseen in KL. These brands are housed in his brand new and very shiny store Area27, tucked away behind Starhill Gallery.

There are many words you could throw at Area27, and they would all stick – conceptual, directional, even the simpler but expressive ‘edgy’ does the trick. A tangle of lightbulbs at the foyer acts as a modern chandelier, headless mannequins hang from the ceiling, and a glass counter of bejewelled sneakers sits in the centre of the bare concrete floor. The shoes are the main draw here; as soon as you step in your eyes go straight to the floor to ceiling Lucite shoe shelves packed with colourful Puma Blackstation kicks designed by the likes of Alexander McQueen, Rudolf Dassler and Mihara Yasuhiro.

You’ll also find Riccardo Forconi embellished leather cuffs, off-kilter t-shirts from Area27’s own brands – Skullarea, Animal Kingdom and BCArea27. A glass case of plastic toys features as the cashier’s desk. These things don’t come cheap, handpicked as they are by one of Malaysia’s foremost design minds, but the space is worth visiting for the idiosyncratic décor alone. Emma Chong