'' Dato' Sri'' Bernard Chandran (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

: பர்னார்ட் சந்திரன்) (born 27 February 1968) is a Malaysian fashion designer. Chandran used to be known as Malaysia's ''"Prince of Fashion"'', but is now being hailed as Malaysia's ''"King of Fashion"''. Chandran is also a

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...

television personality. He has been known as the chief designer of the reality television show ''

Project Runway Malaysia ''Project Runway Malaysia'' is a Malaysian reality television series that focuses on fashion design, and is part of the international ''Project Runway'' franchise. It aired for one season, in 2007, on 8TV. On the show, contestants compete to crea ...

'', since its debut on 8TV on 3 August 2007. Chandran was a guest judge on '' Britain's Next Top Model, Cycle 6'', Episode 12. The top three models were given a chance to model for Chandran's fashion show during the London Fashion Week.

Early years

Bernard Chandran was born to P. Ramachandran and Chow Yook Lin. He is of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

parentage (commonly referred to as ''

Chindian Chindian ( zh, c=中印人, p=Zhōngyìnrén, cy=Jūngyanyàn; ta, சிந்தியன்; is an informal term used to refer to a person of mixed Chinese and Indian ancestry; i.e. from any of the host of ethnic groups native to modern Ch ...

'' in Malaysia). He studied fashion in a local fashion college known as International Fashion Training Centre (IFTC) in

Petaling Jaya ) , website = , image_skyline = , image_caption = ''From top, left to right:Skyline of Petaling Jaya, the 1 Utama Mall integrated with Bandar Utama Station, the Kota Darul Ehsan arch, the Petaling J ...

, Selangor, Malaysia. He then attended the Paris Fashion School in Paris, France. In 1991, he won the 'Open European Contest for Look of the Year 2000'. He was the first non-European to win the title.

Fashion business

In the industry

After working in Paris, he returned to Malaysia to set up his maiden shop in

KL Plaza Fahrenheit 88 is a shopping centre in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Fahrenheit 88 building (previously known as KL Plaza) reopened in August 2010 after extensive renovation. Management and leasing of the shopping centre are handled ...

in 1993. The first 'Bernard Chandran' couture house was a small, rented shop with a handful of staff in the heart of

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

. From there, he built up his client base amongst the who's of Kuala Lumpur, ranging from the rich to royalty. He has now expanded his shop in KL Plaza to take up 4 shop lots and is nearly 300 square meters in area. He was voted Designer of the Year by the Malaysian International Fashion Awards in 2003. Chandran has also started introducing Europe to his couture with a boutique in

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

, London. His creations are drawn from Chinese, Malay, Indian and other Eastern cultures. "My inspiration comes from my customers...how they move, how they talk, their attitudes, their lifestyles. When I first meet a new customer, I make her understand that I am here to make you look good." Chandran's favourite designers are Valentino "...for his femininity and finishing...", and Galliano who "...has a great spirit." He admires

Hussein Chalayan Hussein Chalayan, (; tr, Hüseyin Çağlayan ; born 12 August 1970) is a British-Cypriot fashion designer. He has won the British Designer of the Year twice (in 1999 and 2000) and was awarded the MBE in 2006. Chalayan is currently teaching a ...

for his works and how he dealt with his bankruptcy.

Celebrities in ''Bernard Chandran''

Estelle notably wore an azure blue dress by the designer with exaggerated pointing hips to perform at the 2008 MTV European Music Awards. She also chose to wear two of his distinctive pieces (one on stage in a duet with Kanye West and one for the red carpet) to the 51st Grammy awards, where she went on to win her first Grammy.

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

has also been spotted in designs from Chandran's Collections. She even wore a Chandran piece for her interview with

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

chose to wear a red gown from Chandran for the cover of her 2009 holiday album, "

Midwinter Graces ''Midwinter Graces'' is the eleventh solo studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos, released on November 10, 2009 (November 16, 2009, in the UK), through Universal Republic Records. It is the first seasonal album by Amos and is also notable for ...

". Chandran had also designed all the 15 gowns for her concert tour that year.

#BlackLivesMatter Controversy

In 2020, Chandran released a line of designer face masks and promoted it with an Instagram post featuring a black face donning a yellow mask, with Bernard Chandran branding and the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on the mask. Netizens accused Chandran of blackface and of profiteering off the Black Lives Matter movement.

Family

He is married to Datin Mary Lourdes Chandran (a Malaysian of ethnic Indian origin). She is a former model and was one of the most successful Malaysian models in the 1980s. They have five children. Chandran wants his children to be grounded in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

Awards

* He became the first Malaysian to win the 'Open European Contest for Look of the Year 2000' in 1991. * He was voted Designer of the Year by the Malaysian International Fashion Awards in 2003. * He received his honorific, ''

Dato' Datuk (or its variant Dato or Datu) is a Malay title commonly used in Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as a traditional title by Minangkabau people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The title of the wife of Datuk is Datin. Origin The oldes ...

'', in 2006 when he was awarded the ''Dato' Indera Mahkota Pahang (DIMP)'' by the Sultan Ahmad Shah Sultan Abu Bakar, the

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Pahang Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...

, Malaysia. * Chandran was awarded Malaysian International Fashion Alliance's

IFA IFA or Ifa may refer to: Organisations Economics * Independent financial adviser, a type of financial services professional in the UK * Index Fund Advisors * Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, representing actuaries in the UK * Institute of Ac ...

''Special Achievement Award'' 2009. * He carried honorific title Dato' Sri, in 2016 when he was conferred the ''Darjah Sri Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (SSAP)'' by the Sultan Ahmad Shah Sultan Abu Bakar, the

, Malaysia. * : ** MY-PAH Order of the Crown of Pahang - Knight Companion - DIMP

Knight Companion of the

Order of the Crown of Pahang The Esteemed Order of the Crown of Pahang (Malay: '' Darjah Kebesaran Mahkota Pahang Yang Amat Mulia'') is a knighthood order of the Sultanate of Pahang. History The order was founded by Sultan Abu Bakar on 27 December 1968. It is awarded t ...

(DIMP) – Dato' (2006) ** MY-PAH Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang - Grand Knight - SSAP

Grand Knight of the

Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang The Most Illustrious Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (Malay: ''Darjah Kebesaran Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang Yang Amat Di Mulia'') is a knighthood order of the Sultanate of Pahang. History The order was founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah on 24 Oc ...

(SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2016)

References

External links

Official Webpage of Bernard Chandran

Yahoo! group for Bernard Chandran

Official Facebook Fan Page for Bernard Chandran
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandran, Bernard Living people 1968 births People from Petaling District Malaysian Hindus Malaysian people of Indian descent Malaysian people of Chinese descent Malaysian fashion designers