The one-stop shop for traditional Malay garments at affordable wholesale prices.
Also known as Kenaga Wholesale City, KWC Fashion Mall is Malaysia’s first and largest fashion wholesale mall. While there are shops selling toys and housewares, KWC Fashion Mall specialises in Malay fashion, both casual and formalwear, priced for budget-conscious shoppers.
Layout
KWC Fashion Mall is shaped like a box. A ring of shops lines the edge of the square with two clusters of shop lots in the middle. All nine of the levels have this exact same layout. It’s very easy to move quickly between the floors, as there are escalators on either side of the mall and in the centre. There isn’t a lot of artificial light in this mall, with the only windows being at the entrances.
Shopping
It’s hard to believe that there are supposedly 800 stores in this mall. That’s twice as much as a decently sized mall like Sunway Velocity. I’m not about to count every store, so I’ll trust the mall’s website on this.
If your style is very conservative, there are an overwhelming number of shops at KWC Fashion Wholesale selling Muslimah garments, including hijab specialists. I could count on one hand the number of stores selling sleeveless tops.
There is also a fair number of stores selling children’s clothes. Considering how quickly kids grow, getting their clothes at a wholesale price is a good idea. As usual, the menswear options are a bit limited. For men’s casual wear, I mostly saw knockoff branded t-shirts.
Kenaga Wholesale City is also known for being the place to find formal occasion clothes for weddings and festive celebrations. This is why we were at this mall – to find a baju kurung and baju melayu. There were a lot of options for women, in both style and fit, and I found a baju kurung within the first hour of being here. It was surprisingly cheap too at only RM85 for a colour and pattern I really liked.
Finding a baju melayu for Mark was much harder with his unusual proportions, but we miraculously found one that actually looked decent. If we could find a highly specialised garment to fit Mark’s too tall and too thin frame in this country where nobody is built like that, then this mall has done what nobody thought was possible.
We could converse with most of the shop sellers we dealt with, but their English was limited. A couple of them did not understand a word I said and had to run off to find an English-speaking colleague. If you do not know Bahasa, do not expect the shopkeepers to be very helpful in finding what you need. Ideally, you should know what you are looking for before coming here. Even though KWC Fashion Mall sort of has the vibe for it, haggling is not a thing here.
Food
Kenaga Food Court – Floor 7
The Medan Selera Kenaga is the archetypal mall food court. The food served by the vendors is very Malaysian with favourites like ayam penyet, biryani and char kuey teow. The central drink counter has the usual kopitam offerings and quick, efficient service. There are only a handful of snack vendors on the lower levels, so the Medan Selera Kenaga is the only place to go for makan at KWC Fashion Mall.
If you can stand the heat, the best place to eat at the food court is on the balcony. There is a clear view of the city and The Exchange 106 skyscraper.
Washrooms
There will be signage in the mall hanging from the ceiling that will direct you to the closest toilet. Even so, finding a toilet at Kenaga Wholesale City is quite troublesome. There is a maximum of two washrooms on each level, except on the ground floor, which has none at all. The location of the toilets is not consistent between the levels either. Finding the washroom is a bit of a hunt since all the shops look the same, and there is no identifying landmark like an atrium. The toilets will either be north of the central escalators, on the western edge or in the bottom right corner of the mall, depending on what floor you’re on.
Once you find a washroom, it’s a very utilitarian, no-frills space. It’s not that big with just three stalls in the one I used. Sitting toilets were present, but I’m sure at least one of the stalls had a squat toilet. There was no toilet paper in the stall. The dispenser is across from the sinks.
Saturday Worthy?
If you like Muslimah fashion, there is a lot of nice stuff at affordable prices that you will not see in mainstream malls. Anyone looking for festive clothes who doesn’t want to spend too much should definitely check this mall first. It’s a much better option than chancing it on Lazada, in my opinion. The celebration outfits are just as cheap, and you can try them on before buying. Personally, the casual clothes for sale at KWC Fashion Wholesale are not my style, and I doubt I’ll need a second baju kurung or more hijabs. I likely won’t be back here unless it’s to eat at the food court.
Mall Info
Address: No. 2, Jalan Gelugor, Pudu, 55200 Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: Daily, 10am – 7pm (8pm on Friday & Saturday)
Nearest MRT Station: Hang Tuah
Stores and Floors: Over 800 outlets over 9 floors
Shop Types: Local unisex fashion
Anchors: None
Website: https://www.kenangacity.com.my/en/