Cover Suhana Ab of Maison Q
Suhana Ab of Maison Q
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Suhana also shares insights from Maison Q’s collaborations with iconic brands, such as The St Regis Kuala Lumpur
Suhana Ab never envisioned herself working in fashion, let alone leading a brand centred around it. With a decade spent in publishing, immersed in the luxury lifestyle space, she honed her creative instincts. Yet, it was only after motherhood that she discovered a way to channel her editorial expertise into something truly her own with childrenswear brand Maison Q.
“My daughter was born in 2013. [I started] Maison Q at the end of 2015, right before my son was born. I wanted the flexibility of time [with my children],” she recalls. She began searching for a career that could offer both flexibility and creative fulfilment. Encouraged by her husband, who had experience running a modestwear brand, Suhana took her first steps into entrepreneurship.
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Above Maison Q founder Suhana Ab, with the Butler Bears in the brand’s limited-edition prints
Maison Q founder Suhana Ab, with the Butler Bears in the brand’s limited-edition prints
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During the first year of running Maison Q, she continued working full-time as an editor, meeting with dealers and laying the groundwork for her business even while on maternity leave. Inspired by the rise of the OOTD (short for Outfit of the Day) culture and mother-daughter “twinning” fashion, Suhana envisioned designing clothes for her children that blended style, functionality, and mirrored the essence of the “beautiful brands” she had long admired in her career.
From the get-go, Suhana knew that reversible clothing would be the cornerstone of her brand as it is anchored in her desire to create timeless, practical pieces. “I wanted something that could stand the test of time,” she says. “Children grow up so fast. This way, we give their clothes more mileage.” While reversible clothing is “not a novel concept, we took the idea and made it our own with unique prints and silhouettes”, she says. Suhana focuses on design and creative direction while her husband oversees finance and operations, ensuring the business runs smoothly. They work closely with their atelier in Tasikmalaya, Indonesia, to produce high-quality, original creations.
Above The Maison Q x The St. Regis KL collection includes outfits for adults and pouches
The Maison Q x The St. Regis KL collection includes outfits for adults and pouches
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The brand’s first collection featured a single silhouette with a scallop print in various colours. It quickly became a classic returning every Chinese New Year season. To test the market, Suhana approached Motherswork, a retailer specialising in mother, baby and children’s products. “A friend connected us to Sharon [Wong], the owner. She gave us three months to see if our products would work,” Suhana shares. The success at Motherswork paved the way for other retail partnerships, including with Tangs at Tang Plaza and the gift shops at Mandai Wildlife Reserves.
As the brand grew, Suhana adapted to the realities of running a business. Expanding Maison Q often required bold, serendipitous efforts. Suhana recounts cold-calling retailers, showing up unannounced with samples, and leveraging her network. “I appeared at the headquarters of Happikiddo, a kidswear store in Malaysia, and left samples. Two days later, the founder called us back,” she shares.
Above The St Regis Kuala Lumpur x Maison Q collection
The St Regis Kuala Lumpur x Maison Q collection
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The early years were not without hurdles. As a homegrown brand, Maison Q had to overcome scepticism about quality and local craftsmanship. “In the beginning, people often second-guessed homegrown brands. Back then, they were often associated with subpar quality,” reminisces Suhana. “Now, things have gotten so much better with brands like Beyond The Vines and The Paper Bunny emerging. It also helps that brands like ours also put the best quality forward.”
At Maison Q, quality is paramount, with a focus on both comfort and safety. The brand uses fabrics that are gentle on skin, sourced from Oeko-Tex-certified factories to ensure they are free from harmful substances. The dyes used in the printing process are also environmentally friendly.
With its dedicated atelier in Indonesia, Maison Q has the unique advantage of designing and producing entirely original pieces in-house. Each creation is one of a kind, thanks to its dedicated team of 20 artisans who have undergone intensive training to reach their exceptional levels of workmanship. “Reversible kidswear is not easy to produce, and we expect a lot from our artisans,” Suhana admits. “But they have persevered, and put in the effort. Some of them have been with us from the beginning. We’re fortunate to work with them.”
Above Butler Bear Family Staycation
Butler Bear Family Staycation
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Maison Q’s journey has been defined by its creative milestones, including a landmark collaboration with The St Regis Kuala Lumpur last year. This partnership showcased the brand’s design prowess through exclusive prints inspired by the hotel’s iconic Butler Bear mascots, and spanned dining experiences, a staycation (ongoing until March this year), and a limited-edition capsule collection that includes tote bags and clothing for adults. There is also The Reversible Bar, where guests could create their own bespoke outfits—and for their little ones—by selecting a silhouette of their choice crafted in the exclusive prints, or 16 additional options, by Maison Q’s artisans and delivered within 60 days.
As the brand prepares for its next chapter, expansion remains a key priority. The Chinese New Year collection, for instance, was launched in tandem with three pop-ups held in Kuala Lumpur to strengthen its presence in the Malaysian market. At the time of writing, Suhana had also teased a collaboration with Motherswork, comprising a wardrobe for stuffed toys, highlighting Maison Q’s approach to product diversification.
Aside from its growing presence across the border, it has also established retail partnerships in Vietnam and Cambodia, while also maintaining a showroom in the US. Reflecting on Maison Q’s evolution, Suhana marvels at how far it has come. “Standing at The St Regis Kuala Lumpur poolside and looking at what the team and I have done, I had to pinch myself. I never dreamed that we could do something as big as that with an international brand.”
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Credits
Images: Maison Q
Nafeesa Saini is the Features Editor at Tatler Singapore, where she shapes long-form stories on culture, business, philanthropy, wellness, and the people driving change in Asia. With a deep interest in storytelling that intersects meaningfully with identity and impact, she has profiled a diverse range of visionaries, from scientific pioneers in AI and health to creative trailblazers and literary minds.
Nafeesa’s writing includes cover stories and profiles that spotlight influential voices, alongside commentary on the trends reshaping our world.
Off the clock, Nafeesa unwinds with fiction, a good thrift hunt, and ‘brainrot’ TikTok scroll—while always keeping one eye on her next cultural getaway, usually to Indonesia.
