At the beginning of their journey, one of them couldn’t sew a single stitch while the other is colourblind. Today, Izree Kai Haffiz (Kai) and Mohd Hafizi Radzi Woo (Fizi) are the driving forces behind Fiziwoo, a covetable designer label known for their unique silhouettes and quality tailoring. Below, the dynamic duo reveal the story of how they met, the hardships they endured and why they refused to give up hope.
Tell us about yourselves.
Kai: I was born to a middle-income family in KL, and I was a straight A student—so because of my good grades, my family had hopes for me to be a professional. But I had always loved the arts and wanted to pursue a career that involved creativity. So, I chose architecture because it is somewhat a combination of both the art and scientific realms.
Fizi: I grew up in Penang, where my father was a policeman and my mother a housewife.To help support the family, my mum was also a part-time tailor. I learnt sewing from a young age and I enjoyed the technical parts of it. I would follow her and watch her measure, fit and interact with her customers. My interest in fashion really started from there.
How did you two meet and become business partners?
Fizi: A mutual friend introduced us while we were both university students. We hit it off and somehow talked a lot about fashion.
Kai: Although I studied architecture, I have always been curious about fashion. I had tried to partner with a designer before on a project, but it did not work out. I decided to try again with Fizi and he was keen! We never looked back ever since.