Edmund Ser
Encyclopedia
Edmund Ser (born Ser Chen Huah, 11 November 1955) is a Malaysian fashion designer and businessman based in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia. He is best known for his designer brand, Edmund Ser of Malaysia. He created the Edmund Ser, Spade, and SER fashion labels. He has been a guest judge on Project Runway Malaysia
, as well as judging the Malaysia Young Designers' competition and the Miss Malaysia
Pageant.
, was born into a middle-class Chinese family in Kuala Lumpur
's Jalan Imbi in November 1955. "As the youngest, I guess I led a spoilt life. Everything was there for me. As a family we had more or less a good life. We did not face any particular hardship." Ser spent his primary and secondary school years at Methodist Boys' School Kuala Lumpur. Ser played many games and sports in school, representing his school for badminton and hockey. Television was a factor that influenced Ser's choice to enter the fashion trade. He says, "programmes like the David Cassidy show had an effect on me. The bell bottoms, costumes and all ...' A fashion show held in 1968 to mark the silver jubilee of the Methodist Boys' School Kuala Lumpur was one of Ser's inspirations to take up fashion design for a living. Andy Chew was among the first few established local designers in the early 1970s.
Ser apprenticed at a local men's tailor from 1973–1975. He travelled to England in 1975, where he took a course on clothing and craft at the Medway College of Design in Rochester, Kent. During that course, he sat for the City and Guilds of London Institute
external exam and obtained a craft certificate in men's tailoring. Ser left halfway through the course at Medway, as he felt he had already learned all there was to learn, and enrolled for a four-year diploma in art at the Canterbury College of Art in Kent. He studied tailoring from a master cutter who fashioned clothes for Queen Elizabeth II. During this time he passed the City and Guilds of London Institute advanced craft certificate in men's retail bespoke
tailoring. During his years in the United Kingdom, Ser worked in Chinese restaurants and did odd jobs to fund his studies.
Upon graduation in 1979, he obtained a tailoring job at Thomas Pratt & Sons Limited in London for six months. Ser felt a sense of responsibility towards Malaysia. "I could have stayed back and worked in England, but I believe I can contribute to this country after having had my education there," he said. He then returned home to Kuala Lumpur in 1980.
Ser borrowed RM5,000 from his parents and teamed with a former schoolmate, who invested another RM5,000, to set up a men's tailoring shop, called West Point Fashion House. Ser believed that work wear was something that "has to be presentable, fresh, crisp and most importantly comfortable." Due to high rent increases, Ser and his partner were forced to move their shop in 1983. Ser split with his partner in 1984 and set up his own shop to make men's and ladies' clothes, with financial support from his family and his friend Orson Wong, 1999 President of the Malaysian Official Designers' Association (MODA).
He was relatively unknown when he did his first fashion show. Ser said he was referred to by people in the industry as "the tailor-boy" when he did his first fashion show with another better-known local designer. The title hurt, but it made him more determined to go forward.
Ser was once labelled as the 'avant garde jacket man', and that became his signature line in the 1990s. Ser was known for his Charlie Chaplin
-inspired suits, which were presented at Malaysian Contemporary Designers' Shows in the 1990s, an event organised by the department store Parkson
.
Ser gained a foothold in Singapore
in 1988. Carontique fashion house at Penang Plaza in Penang
was one of Ser's earlier breakthroughs to other states in Malaysia. Carontique's decision to drape Penang women with the same hands and materials that dressed the TV3
broadcasters helped secure the franchise to distribute the Edmund Ser ready-to-wear line of clothing in the city. Ser is now known throughout the country for providing clothes to celebrity TV newscasters at television stations such as TV3 and Ntv7
. Ser states, "I am more of a businessman than a designer". In 1992 Ser had boutiques at The Saga, in Park Mall, and at The Saga, in Metro Singapore.
Ser's apparel was also sold in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. Ser was the first local designer to use crushed velvet in his collection, joining international fashion designers such as Prada
and Ralph Lauren
.
In December 1995, Bobby R. Novenario Pte, Inc. supported the formal opening of Suitables by Edmund Ser at Ayala Center
, Makati City
, Philippines. In Manila
, Ser was identified as one of the brightest names in the Asean fashion scenes of the 90s. Bobby Novenario, impressed with Ser's well-fitting suits for the Asian figure, brought Ser to Manila to design a fashion line for Filipino corporate ladies.
In March 1996 Ser attended the 22nd Asian Roundtable by the Asian Club Foundation held in Kobe
, Japan, as a guest speaker on the topic of Fashion in Asia. In 1998 Edmund Ser took its name to the newly-opened Suria KLCC
shopping centre in the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur City Centre . By 1999, Ser had 11 Edmund Ser boutiques, including three in Singapore. The outlets in Kuala Lumpur were in the Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
Ser was a representative of Malaysia in the Asean Designers' Scene, where he represented Malaysia for the Asean Designers' show in Singapore, the Philippines, and other states in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, and 1996. In 1992 Ser was titled amongst Asean's best five, alongside Sira Kulsethsiri of Thailand, Arthur Yen of Singapore, Frederick Perlata of the Philippines, and Samuel Wattimena of Indonesia.
Chung Khiaw Bank Visa presented Ser's "An Afternoon With Edmund Ser" in October 1993. The Transylvania Look and a preview of his 1994 Chinoire Collection were featured, as well as "An Evening with Edmund Ser" in conjunction with the bank's Gold Card launch. Ser was amongst 15 top Malaysian designers to participate in the Malaysia In style fashion extravaganza.
In 1995 Ser showcased his Middlesex collection for three consecutive nights in the Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The 'middle-sex' look, which was a sexually grey area that could be read as androgynous or bi-sexual, was a 1996 forecast for world fashion. Ser presented double-breasted jackets with six buttons and hugging the hips for 1996. Priority Plus, with the support of Cathay Pacific
, BMG Malaysia
, Nescafe
, Sothys Paris, and Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, had their 'Thank You' party featuring Edmund Ser's 1996 Middlesex Collection.
In 1996 Ser's fashion shows presented a different image through a more fashionable, as opposed to classic, line. The collection featured numerous coordinates in white, black, and checks.
In 2004 Edmund Ser opened in Hock Lee Centre Shopping Podium, Kuching
, Malaysia. Ser has also ventured into the Sabah
an market since 2007.
Ser suffered financially due to overexpenditures to launch the Spade brand, overexpansion of retail boutiques, the recession, and high rents at shopping malls. From 2003–2009, Ser decreased his number of retail boutiques, as the buying power in Malaysia had decreased tremendously due to the recession. As a result, Ser moved his focus from retailing to corporate uniforms servicing.
As of 2004, Edmund Ser was the corporate uniform supplier to about 30 clients, including hotels, banks, airlines, and the jewellery and travel sectors, while tailoring the designs to their respective concepts. Ser's clientele hails from all over South East Asia.
In 2005 Ser presented his collection in the Kuala Lumpur Asian Fashion Week. In 2006, Ser showcased his collection at the Glorious Fusion of Jewellery and Fashion show. In 2008 Ser held a fashion show at Island Plaza, Penang.
Ser has mentored many Malaysian fashion designers who have gone on to win awards in the Asian fashion arena, including Brian Pawle, who was named one of three best for the night at the 1987 MODA-hosted Modasketch. In 1988 Gerald Lim won first prize at the 'Expressions-A Festival Of Young Fashion Designers', organised by the Society for the Mentally Handicapped.
Director of People Republic, Daniel Lim, had his first fashion stint with Edmund Ser. Lim acknowledges that he learned a lot from Ser with regards to tailoring, detailing and workmanship. After three years with Ser, he started the Danielle label, which was carried in department stores such as Isetan as well as a multi-brand store in The Weld, Kuala Lumpur.
on 8TV
as guest judge since its inception in 2007. Ser sat on the panel for the MODA Malaysian Young Designers' Competition in 2009 and 2010. Ser judged the Miss Malaysia
pageant in the 1990s.
Ser is the youngest son of Ser Whan Boon (6 July 1907 – 3 May 2003, Chinese Teochew
descent) and his wife, Lee Oi Lin (born 19 June 1909, Chinese Cantonese
descent). Ser Whan Boon was a chief cashier under the Shell Group and Lee Oi Lin, a housewife. Ser is the youngest of four children. Ser's oldest brother, Ser Chin Nam (born 1939), is a retired policeman while his two older sisters, Ser Siew Hong and Ser Mui Hong, are in the fashion business with him.
Ser married his wife, Chong Lee Kion, known as Jackie Ser (born 6 May 1968), in 1989, and they have four daughters: Audrey Ser (born 10 April 1991), Cassandra Ser (born 11 December 1992), and twins Nataly Ser and Ashley Ser (born 10 June 1998). His twins are violinists at the National Symphony Orchestra of Malaysia and the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
.
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia. He is best known for his designer brand, Edmund Ser of Malaysia. He created the Edmund Ser, Spade, and SER fashion labels. He has been a guest judge on Project Runway Malaysia
Project Runway Malaysia
Project Runway Malaysia is a Malaysian reality television series on 8TV that focuses on fashion design. Its contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are usually restricted in their time, materials, and theme. Their designs are judged and one or more designers are...
, as well as judging the Malaysia Young Designers' competition and the Miss Malaysia
Miss Malaysia
Miss Malaysia represents Malaysia in two of the major international pageants.Miss Universe is a beauty pageant run by the New York-based partnership between NBC and Donald Trump....
Pageant.
Early life
Ser, a third-generation Malaysian ChineseMalaysian Chinese
Malaysian Chinese is a Malaysian of Chinese origin. Most are descendants of Chinese who arrived between the fifteenth and the mid-twentieth centuries. Within Malaysia, they are usually simply referred to as "Chinese" in all languages. The term Chinese Malaysian is also sometimes used to refer to...
, was born into a middle-class Chinese family in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
's Jalan Imbi in November 1955. "As the youngest, I guess I led a spoilt life. Everything was there for me. As a family we had more or less a good life. We did not face any particular hardship." Ser spent his primary and secondary school years at Methodist Boys' School Kuala Lumpur. Ser played many games and sports in school, representing his school for badminton and hockey. Television was a factor that influenced Ser's choice to enter the fashion trade. He says, "programmes like the David Cassidy show had an effect on me. The bell bottoms, costumes and all ...' A fashion show held in 1968 to mark the silver jubilee of the Methodist Boys' School Kuala Lumpur was one of Ser's inspirations to take up fashion design for a living. Andy Chew was among the first few established local designers in the early 1970s.
Ser apprenticed at a local men's tailor from 1973–1975. He travelled to England in 1975, where he took a course on clothing and craft at the Medway College of Design in Rochester, Kent. During that course, he sat for the City and Guilds of London Institute
City and Guilds of London Institute
The City and Guilds of London Institute is a leading United Kingdom vocational education organisation. City & Guilds offers more than 500 qualifications over the whole range of industry sectors through 8500 colleges and training providers in 81 countries worldwide...
external exam and obtained a craft certificate in men's tailoring. Ser left halfway through the course at Medway, as he felt he had already learned all there was to learn, and enrolled for a four-year diploma in art at the Canterbury College of Art in Kent. He studied tailoring from a master cutter who fashioned clothes for Queen Elizabeth II. During this time he passed the City and Guilds of London Institute advanced craft certificate in men's retail bespoke
Bespoke
Bespoke is a term employed in a variety of applications to mean an item custom-made to the buyer's specification...
tailoring. During his years in the United Kingdom, Ser worked in Chinese restaurants and did odd jobs to fund his studies.
Upon graduation in 1979, he obtained a tailoring job at Thomas Pratt & Sons Limited in London for six months. Ser felt a sense of responsibility towards Malaysia. "I could have stayed back and worked in England, but I believe I can contribute to this country after having had my education there," he said. He then returned home to Kuala Lumpur in 1980.
Ser borrowed RM5,000 from his parents and teamed with a former schoolmate, who invested another RM5,000, to set up a men's tailoring shop, called West Point Fashion House. Ser believed that work wear was something that "has to be presentable, fresh, crisp and most importantly comfortable." Due to high rent increases, Ser and his partner were forced to move their shop in 1983. Ser split with his partner in 1984 and set up his own shop to make men's and ladies' clothes, with financial support from his family and his friend Orson Wong, 1999 President of the Malaysian Official Designers' Association (MODA).
He was relatively unknown when he did his first fashion show. Ser said he was referred to by people in the industry as "the tailor-boy" when he did his first fashion show with another better-known local designer. The title hurt, but it made him more determined to go forward.
Fashion career
Ser specialises in jackets and career apparel. Since the 1990s, Malaysian women have been described as more receptive to colours than design, and colours played a big role in Ser's collections. Ser is known for his cut in suits.Early success (1980s–1990s)
Ser's initial attempts to upgrade men's fashion received a poor response, so he switched to women's fashion, as women were emerging into the workforce at that time. He was known for his non-conformist ideas combined with his cutting. Ser concentrated in mass production for various department stores in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, and Singapore under his own label. The Edmund Ser line for women was launched in 1987 to a very encouraging response. In 1992 Ser opened his first Edmund Ser boutique in Hotel Kuala Lumpur, specialising in made-to-measure women's office clothes.Ser was once labelled as the 'avant garde jacket man', and that became his signature line in the 1990s. Ser was known for his Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
-inspired suits, which were presented at Malaysian Contemporary Designers' Shows in the 1990s, an event organised by the department store Parkson
Parkson
Parkson is a popular department store company in Malaysia which offers items at a medium rate. Parkson was established in 1987 as one of the largest retail chains in Malaysia at that time...
.
Ser gained a foothold in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1988. Carontique fashion house at Penang Plaza in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
was one of Ser's earlier breakthroughs to other states in Malaysia. Carontique's decision to drape Penang women with the same hands and materials that dressed the TV3
TV3 (Malaysia)
Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad or TV3 began broadcasting on 1 June 1984 as Malaysia’s first commercial television station. It is part of Media Prima Berhad group of companies. It now transmits opened broadcasting business private 24-hours a day, 7 days a week since 1 January 2010...
broadcasters helped secure the franchise to distribute the Edmund Ser ready-to-wear line of clothing in the city. Ser is now known throughout the country for providing clothes to celebrity TV newscasters at television stations such as TV3 and Ntv7
Ntv7
Natseven TV Sdn Bhd or better known as ntv7 is a terrestrial television channel in Malaysia. It was launched nationwide on 7 April 1998 and was the country's third private free-to-air TV station after TV3 and Astro. Its mission is to promote a happier and more enlightened Malaysia...
. Ser states, "I am more of a businessman than a designer". In 1992 Ser had boutiques at The Saga, in Park Mall, and at The Saga, in Metro Singapore.
Ser's apparel was also sold in the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. Ser was the first local designer to use crushed velvet in his collection, joining international fashion designers such as Prada
Prada
Prada S.p.A. is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women , founded by Mario Prada.-Foundations:...
and Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
.
In December 1995, Bobby R. Novenario Pte, Inc. supported the formal opening of Suitables by Edmund Ser at Ayala Center
Ayala Center
The Ayala Center is a commercial complex operated by Ayala Land Incorporated located in the central business district of Makati in Metro Manila, Philippines.-About the Center:...
, Makati City
Makati City
The City of Makati is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia...
, Philippines. In Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Ser was identified as one of the brightest names in the Asean fashion scenes of the 90s. Bobby Novenario, impressed with Ser's well-fitting suits for the Asian figure, brought Ser to Manila to design a fashion line for Filipino corporate ladies.
In March 1996 Ser attended the 22nd Asian Roundtable by the Asian Club Foundation held in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Japan, as a guest speaker on the topic of Fashion in Asia. In 1998 Edmund Ser took its name to the newly-opened Suria KLCC
Suria KLCC
Suria KLCC is Malaysia's premier shopping centre located at the base of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur City Centre based in Kuala Lumpur. It is located on 6 floors, with anchor tenants Isetan, Parkson Grand, Cold Storage Supermarket, Tanjong Golden Village, Signature's Level 2 Food Court...
shopping centre in the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur City Centre . By 1999, Ser had 11 Edmund Ser boutiques, including three in Singapore. The outlets in Kuala Lumpur were in the Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
Fashion shows
Ser held various themed fashion shows in the 1990s, under his SER by Edmund Ser label. His venues were usually in Spices Restaurant and in the Concorde Ballroom. In July 1990, Ser held a fashion show in Oval, featuring the Edmund Ser Ready-To-Wear Collection. Parkson Corporation's Contemporary Designers Show (1990) featured Ser's trademark line.Ser was a representative of Malaysia in the Asean Designers' Scene, where he represented Malaysia for the Asean Designers' show in Singapore, the Philippines, and other states in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, and 1996. In 1992 Ser was titled amongst Asean's best five, alongside Sira Kulsethsiri of Thailand, Arthur Yen of Singapore, Frederick Perlata of the Philippines, and Samuel Wattimena of Indonesia.
Chung Khiaw Bank Visa presented Ser's "An Afternoon With Edmund Ser" in October 1993. The Transylvania Look and a preview of his 1994 Chinoire Collection were featured, as well as "An Evening with Edmund Ser" in conjunction with the bank's Gold Card launch. Ser was amongst 15 top Malaysian designers to participate in the Malaysia In style fashion extravaganza.
In 1995 Ser showcased his Middlesex collection for three consecutive nights in the Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The 'middle-sex' look, which was a sexually grey area that could be read as androgynous or bi-sexual, was a 1996 forecast for world fashion. Ser presented double-breasted jackets with six buttons and hugging the hips for 1996. Priority Plus, with the support of Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
, BMG Malaysia
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
, Nescafe
Nescafé
Nescafé is a brand of instant coffee made by Nestlé. It comes in the form of many different products. The name is a portmanteau of the words "Nestlé" and "café". Nestlé's flagship powdered coffee product was introduced in Switzerland on April 1, 1938 after being developed for seven or eight years...
, Sothys Paris, and Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, had their 'Thank You' party featuring Edmund Ser's 1996 Middlesex Collection.
In 1996 Ser's fashion shows presented a different image through a more fashionable, as opposed to classic, line. The collection featured numerous coordinates in white, black, and checks.
Expansion and corporate success (2000s–current)
In 2002, Ser expanded into a large market of those earning RM2000 and over. Ser created the Spade label; its flagship store was situated on the concourse floor, alongside international designer brands such as Marc Jacobs and Paul Smith. Spade featured asymmetrical, anonymous, and funky young designs for young adults.In 2004 Edmund Ser opened in Hock Lee Centre Shopping Podium, Kuching
Kuching
Kuching , officially the City of Kuching, and formerly the City of Sarawak, is the capital and most populous city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It is the largest city on the island of Borneo, and the fourth largest city in Malaysia....
, Malaysia. Ser has also ventured into the Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
an market since 2007.
Ser suffered financially due to overexpenditures to launch the Spade brand, overexpansion of retail boutiques, the recession, and high rents at shopping malls. From 2003–2009, Ser decreased his number of retail boutiques, as the buying power in Malaysia had decreased tremendously due to the recession. As a result, Ser moved his focus from retailing to corporate uniforms servicing.
Corporate fashion: uniforms
Ser designs, conceptualises, and manufactures made-to-measure uniforms for employees of various corporate groups. Ser's earliest corporate fashion business was for the Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur in 1991. Ser was commissioned to give the hotel a line of work suits that would reflect its youthful and dashing concept.As of 2004, Edmund Ser was the corporate uniform supplier to about 30 clients, including hotels, banks, airlines, and the jewellery and travel sectors, while tailoring the designs to their respective concepts. Ser's clientele hails from all over South East Asia.
Fashion shows
In the 2000s, Ser was an avid presenter, showcasing his collections at the Malaysia-International Fashion Week (M-IFW). At the Secretaries "Unplugged!" Luncheon in April 2003, Ser was one of the first three designers to take their creations to stage for the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week 2003.In 2005 Ser presented his collection in the Kuala Lumpur Asian Fashion Week. In 2006, Ser showcased his collection at the Glorious Fusion of Jewellery and Fashion show. In 2008 Ser held a fashion show at Island Plaza, Penang.
Fellow designers
Ser was one of the founding members of the Malaysian Official Designers' Association (MODA), which was founded in 1987. He was treasurer in 1993.Ser has mentored many Malaysian fashion designers who have gone on to win awards in the Asian fashion arena, including Brian Pawle, who was named one of three best for the night at the 1987 MODA-hosted Modasketch. In 1988 Gerald Lim won first prize at the 'Expressions-A Festival Of Young Fashion Designers', organised by the Society for the Mentally Handicapped.
Director of People Republic, Daniel Lim, had his first fashion stint with Edmund Ser. Lim acknowledges that he learned a lot from Ser with regards to tailoring, detailing and workmanship. After three years with Ser, he started the Danielle label, which was carried in department stores such as Isetan as well as a multi-brand store in The Weld, Kuala Lumpur.
Judging
Ser has appeared on the reality television show Project Runway MalaysiaProject Runway Malaysia
Project Runway Malaysia is a Malaysian reality television series on 8TV that focuses on fashion design. Its contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are usually restricted in their time, materials, and theme. Their designs are judged and one or more designers are...
on 8TV
8TV (Malaysia)
8TV is a private Malaysian Chinese television station, previously known as MetroVision Channel 8. Metrovision closed on 1 November 1999. 8TV was officially launched on Thursday, 8 January 2004 as 8TV after being acquired by Media Prima Berhad....
as guest judge since its inception in 2007. Ser sat on the panel for the MODA Malaysian Young Designers' Competition in 2009 and 2010. Ser judged the Miss Malaysia
Miss Malaysia
Miss Malaysia represents Malaysia in two of the major international pageants.Miss Universe is a beauty pageant run by the New York-based partnership between NBC and Donald Trump....
pageant in the 1990s.
Personal life
Ser styles himself as a family man. He says that the person he admires most is his father. Ser's motto is "I Can, I Will, I Must Succeed".Ser is the youngest son of Ser Whan Boon (6 July 1907 – 3 May 2003, Chinese Teochew
Teochew people
The Chaozhou people are Han people, native to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province of China who speak the Teochew dialect. Today, most Teochew people live outside China in Southeast Asia especially in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. They can also be found almost anywhere in the...
descent) and his wife, Lee Oi Lin (born 19 June 1909, Chinese Cantonese
Cantonese people
The Cantonese people are Han people whose ancestral homes are in Guangdong, China. The term "Cantonese people" would then be synonymous with the Bun Dei sub-ethnic group, and is sometimes known as Gwong Fu Jan for this narrower definition...
descent). Ser Whan Boon was a chief cashier under the Shell Group and Lee Oi Lin, a housewife. Ser is the youngest of four children. Ser's oldest brother, Ser Chin Nam (born 1939), is a retired policeman while his two older sisters, Ser Siew Hong and Ser Mui Hong, are in the fashion business with him.
Ser married his wife, Chong Lee Kion, known as Jackie Ser (born 6 May 1968), in 1989, and they have four daughters: Audrey Ser (born 10 April 1991), Cassandra Ser (born 11 December 1992), and twins Nataly Ser and Ashley Ser (born 10 June 1998). His twins are violinists at the National Symphony Orchestra of Malaysia and the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra is a full symphony orchestra composed of talented young musicians in Malaysia. The core programme of MPYO includes weekend rehearsals, tutorials, concerts, residential music camps and tours. There may also be a chance for members to attend workshops,...
.