Cover Hanis Zalikha opens up about pickleball, paying attention to details, and playing by her own rules in business a decade into her hugely successful fashion brand Cakenis (Photo: Cakenis)
Hanis Zalikha opens up about pickleball, paying attention to details, and playing by her own rules in business a decade into her hugely successful fashion brand Cakenis (Photo: Cakenis)
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Hanis Zalikha opens up about pickleball, paying attention to details, and playing by her own rules in business a decade into her hugely successful fashion brand Cakenis
There's a particular clarity that comes with knowing exactly who you are. Hanis Zalikha possesses it in abundance—the kind of quiet assurance that doesn't announce itself but commands attention nonetheless.
Soft-spoken and contemplative for someone so prominent in Malaysia, the 35-year-old founder of homegrown fashion brand Cakenis has built her style empire on a simple yet radical premise: that true style isn't about keeping up, it's about staying firmly in your own lane.
“The ideal Cakenis woman stays in her lane,” Zalikha says, settling into the conversation with characteristic directness. “She knows her worth, her values. She's not insecure. If someone wears a nicer bag, she's content with her own.”
Above Hanis wears outfit and bag by Cakenis
Hanis wears outfit and bag by Cakenis
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It's a philosophy that extends far beyond handbags—it's about resisting the endless scroll of comparison that defines contemporary life.
Beyond mere rhetoric, Zalikha has architected her brand around the principle of timeless confidence over trend-chasing. Where fast fashion cycles through monthly releases, Cakenis launches just four major collections annually, including modest swimwear and athleisure that balances minimalist confidence with quiet feminine charm. For 10 years, Cakenis has been made its mark in both the local market and regionally, becoming a brand people realise they’ve seen everywhere, even if they didn’t know it by name.
Cakenis campaigns have been fronted by familiar faces such as Amelia Henderson and Tony Eusoff, further cementing the brand’s presence in Malaysia’s fashion landscape. The brand has collaborated with global icons—from a special Barbie partnership to working with national athlete and Olympic Games bronze medallist Lee Zii Jia—a testament to the brand’s relevance and reach.
“Trends die,” states the mother of two matter-of-factly. “We don't care about being trendy. We prefer to do something bold.” That boldness manifests in unexpected design choices—windbreakers cinched with belts for a snatched silhouette, athleisure that prioritises elegance over garish colours, pieces designed so meticulously that “you don’t have to work hard to look good.”
In short? This stylish entrepreneur has built a language of style that privileges intention over interruption. On her terms, fashion is not timidity but a carefully edited statement: considered, exacting, quietly conspicuous.
“Designing anything takes so long because we want every inch to be perfect,” she says, describing the process behind Cakenis’ latest athleisure collection for 2025. “My thought process is that pickleball as a sport is so popular in Malaysia, and so many brands want to come alongside to support this fitness-oriented lifestyle. I wanted us to stay different. Instead of chasing the wave, we said, ‘No, relax. Let’s come up with a solid collection that is really beautiful. That beauty is so important for me.”
“I want the people wearing our clothes to feel taken care of,” Zalikha adds. “Anyone can look good just wearing a Cakenis creation. Every piece fits in effortlessly—you don't have to work hard to look good.”
Above Hanis wears outfit and pickleball bag by Cakenis
Hanis wears outfit and pickleball bag by Cakenis
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I wanted us to stay different. Instead of chasing the wave, we said, ‘Let’s come up with a solid collection that’s really beautiful.
The attention to detail borders on obsessive. Custom toggles on trousers allow petite bodies to adjust length. Every garment carries the Cakenis signature woven throughout.
“Taking care of the small details? It’s expensive—very expensive,” Zalikha admits of these finishing touches, “but we still do it.” With a chuckle, she jokes that her overthinking tendencies have proved useful in this regard. The result is a brand where customers can order their usual size online with complete confidence—a rare luxury in digital retail.
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Above Hanis wears windbreaker and top by Cakenis
Above Hanis wears windbreaker and top by Cakenis
Hanis wears windbreaker and top by Cakenis
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Her pivot into athleisure emerged from personal revelation. After conquering Mount Kinabalu with no training—a feat she mentions almost offhandedly—Zalikha spent years putting off fitness because of other priorities.
Then came the reckoning of age and a husband devoted to sport. Now, their shared passion for pickleball has become what she calls “our 10-year anniversary gift to each other.”
“When you want to be active, you have to have a good support system,” she reflects. This understanding shaped her approach to sportswear: beautiful, sophisticated pieces in muted tones rather than the typical garish colours and unflattering silhouettes of modest swimwear. “When you look good, you'll definitely feel better about working out. It's a mindset.”
Above Hanis wears jersey, pants and cap by Cakenis
Hanis wears jersey, pants and cap by Cakenis
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The philosophy permeates her company culture. When her husband Hairul Azreen started awarding bonuses and prizes for weight loss in the team, it motivated the group towards a healthier lifestyle, not from vanity, but from genuine care. “He wants everyone to get out there. He wants everyone to be fit.”
The company culture at Cakenis protects creativity, but values resilience too—when team members bristle at competitors copying their designs, Zalikha redirects their energy. “If people are inspired by you, it means you’re doing something so good,” she tells them.
Perhaps most telling is what Zalikha would tell her younger self: be more carefree. The confidence she now radiates wasn't always there. “I really got my confidence later in life,” she admits. “During high school years, if I could just knock some sense into myself—it would be ‘just let it go’.”
Today, that hard-won assurance defines everything she creates.
Cakenis isn't chasing international trends or opening stores in every mall. Instead, Zalikha focuses on what she calls adding value to the world—better swimwear, better athleisure, better ways for customers to feel confident without trying.
It's a vision that's taken years of patient education to communicate, but one that's resonating from Kuala Lumpur to Riyadh to France, where buyers emulate that element of ‘Cakenis confidence’ from abroad.
“There's so many distractions, so many temptations,” she observes. “I always want to go back to: what do you have? What can you offer to the world?” For Hanis Zalikha, the answer is refreshingly clear—confidence that doesn’t need validation, style that doesn’t require effort, and a lane entirely her own.
Above Hanis wears windbreaker, pants and cap by Cakenis
Hanis wears windbreaker, pants and cap by Cakenis
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Credits
Photography: Cakenis
Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
