Kuala Lumpur Extends Its Offerings, from High Street to Haute Couture

Malaysia's capital city of Kuala Lumpur has long been overshadowed by other Southeast Asian shopping destinations, such as Singapore, Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta. But that's changing with several recently opened shopping centers—including the Pavilion, the Gardens and a new extension of the Sunway Pyramid mall—that cater to a variety of market segments, including the city's burgeoning high-end sector.

The biggest player is the Pavilion, a massive, seven-level shopping development—dubbed the "Fifth Avenue of KL"—where well-known names like Chloé, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Hermès, Gucci and Ermenegildo Zegna have all opened their doors. Diane Von Furstenberg, meanwhile, has set up a street-level retail shop at the Pavilion that offers the sort of boulevard-style shopping experience that's rare in KL.

There's also Shanghai Tang, a cult favorite among well-heeled Hong Kongers and Singaporeans, which carries high-quality, handmade Chinoise-style men's and women's clothes and accessories. The New York-based skincare specialists at Kiehl's have also set up shop, with their Pavilion location carrying a full range of products (save pet care). However, it was the opening of the Marc by Marc Jacobs store, with its bohemian range of women's outfits, must-have accessories and edgy menswear, that garnered the Pavilion the most raves from local fashionistas.

In another part of KL, the Gardens shopping center—an extension of the enormous Mid Valley Megamall, which features retailers like Topshop/Topman, Miss Selfridge, Bobbi Brown and Zara—is becoming another fashion hotspot, with Aussie streetwear favorite Mooks and veteran Singaporean department store Robinsons already open, and the much-anticipated M store slated to launch in April. M will offer women's and men's apparel and accessories from lifestyle collections like K Karl Lagerfeld, KORS Michael Kors, Y-3 by Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garcons Play and McQ by Alexander McQueen.

Among notable shopping centers with a long presence in KL is Suria KLCC, located at the foot of the iconic Petronas Twin Towers (once the world's tallest buildings). Visitors always seem to be surprised—and impressed—with Suria KLCC's tenants, which include Christian Lacroix, Moschino, Emilio Pucci, Jimmy Choo, Paul Smith and Chanel. But perhaps the best testimony to KL's growing reputation as a fashion destination is the presence of not one, but two Louis Vuitton stores—a street-front boutique in the upscale Starhill Gallery and another in Suria KLCC. Like everyone else in the world, Malaysians find the LV monogram irresistible.

—Richard Tan