As a little boy, I felt like I was just an ordinary child like everyone else. My mother is a teacher, and my late father was a soldier. I grew up with an older brother who shared many of the same interests as me. He was the one who introduced me to different types of music — from hip hop and metalcore to jazz and many other genres. He also taught me how to skateboard.

During my secondary school years, my cousin further introduced me to skateboarding. From that moment on, I spent most of my time skating with my brother and a group of friends. Back then, internet access was still limited, so most of what we learned about skateboarding culture came from other people and local magazines.

Through skateboarding, I began discovering different skate brands such as ÉS, Emerica, Vans, PIG Wheels, Ipath, Powell Peralta, Blind, and Toy Machine. One brand that stood out to me the most was Volcom Stone. I became a big fan of Volcom because one of my local skateboarding idols always wore it. Seeing that made a strong impression on me and sparked my interest in skateboarding brands and their culture.

Since then, I started collecting skate brand apparel such as t-shirts, denim, pants, hoodies, and stickers. I would stick the stickers everywhere as a form of expression or carefully keep them in my sticker album. It was during this time that I began to realize that there was a culture behind all of this — a culture known as streetwear.

After finishing secondary school, I was still deeply into streetwear brands, but I had never thought about creating my own label. One day, my brother and I were in the car talking when the idea suddenly came up:

"What if we create our own local brand?"

He immediately agreed. He loved doing graphic design, while I had a strong interest in business. It made perfect sense to combine our strengths and start something together.

The name AKUDESIGN™ was actually created while we were still sitting in that car, trying to figure out what the best name would be. We went through several ideas, but after a few discussions, we decided on AKUDESIGN™.

The meaning behind the name is simple: “I Design.”

In Malay, the word “Aku” means “Me” or “I.” It is a word commonly used in everyday conversation, which makes it easy for people to remember. The word “Design” represents the process of creating something from nothing.

What we wanted to express was simple — this is our design.
And that is how AKUDESIGN™ was born.

Over the years, we also discovered a deeper meaning behind the name. AKUDESIGN™ represents who we are as individuals. In life, whether we succeed or fail, it ultimately depends on ourselves. Our mission, dreams, values, and direction all come from within.

At the end of the day, AKUDESIGN™ is not just a brand name — it is a mindset.

Our first design was called “JIWA ANAK SENI,” which means “The Soul of an Art Kid.” It was released in 2009.

What made this design special was the journey behind it. It took us 365 days to sell just 30 pieces of t-shirts. Compared to what we do today, that number may seem very small, but at that time it meant everything to us.

We had almost no knowledge about selling clothing. We simply jumped into it and learned along the way. Those were difficult times, but what kept me going was my passion for streetwear culture.

I kept reminding myself:
If Volcom Stone can make it, why can’t we?

As time passed and after going through many challenges, the brand slowly started to grow. Today, we are able to sell more than 20,000 pieces every year and consistently release new collections every month.

Beyond t-shirts, we have expanded our product range to include pants, hoodies, raglans, jackets, footwear, sunglasses, accessories, bags, and more.

As time went by, we started joining different events such as Tweet Ups, gigs, music festivals, clothing fairs, and various community gatherings. Slowly, people began to recognize our brand through word of mouth.

Often, people walking past our booth would jokingly ask,

"Hey, who did this design?"

And we would simply answer, “AKUDESIGN™.”

That simple moment became a natural conversation starter between us and our customers. It helped us connect with people who were interested in what we were doing.

Throughout the journey of building AKUDESIGN™, I have always believed that every day is a learning process. Over time, we began to understand the deeper meaning of building a streetwear brand — from developing our concept, identity, logo, typography, tagline, colors, design direction, and culture.

AKUDESIGN™ focuses on streetwear products with strong attention to material, quality, design, and details.

We stay true to our tagline:

“Wear With Pride.”

We want our customers to feel proud whenever they wear our products.

Our community consists of people with creative minds — individuals involved in street art, graffiti, design, hip-hop music, skateboarding, and streetwear culture.

We proudly call them ADCTERS, our loyal supporters who have been part of the journey.

After graduating from university, I decided to take a bigger step by opening our first AKUDESIGN Concept Store in Melaka.

We had very little knowledge about running a retail store, but we decided to go all in and take the risk.

On the launch day, around 200 people showed up — most of them were our loyal supporters known as ADCTERS, along with close friends who had supported us since the beginning. I truly appreciated every single person who came.

At that moment, I wanted to inspire them and show that dreams can come true if you work hard enough for them.

More importantly, I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of achieving my dreams.

Since 2009, AKUDESIGN™ has gone through many successes and failures. Along the way, we have collaborated with many local communities and creatives such as Melaka Fixed, AsmoeRoc, Cat in The Box, Tarik Jeans, Siek27, Malaccafe, Tempatan Fest, Altimet, and Meeting of Styles, among many others.

We are also proud to be a verified seller on Shopee Mall & TikTok Shop, one of the largest marketplaces in Asia.

Today, AKUDESIGN™ products are available through authorized dealers in Kuala Lumpur & Johor,

We also established AKUDESIGN™ CREATIVE, led by my brother Afiq Afify Anuar, which focuses on creative services such as photography, videography, murals, graffiti, and doodle artwork. Their clients include brands such as Nando’s, BMW, Volkswagen, as well as various local businesses.

After years of building this brand, I am proud to say that we now have a solid team behind AKUDESIGN™.

My focus has always been to build a team of people who believe in their passion and who want to keep improving themselves — just like how I started in the beginning.

I want to support them, guide them, and help shape them so that one day they will feel the same satisfaction that comes from following their passion.

There are still many challenges ahead and many goals that we want to achieve. But with the experience we have gained over the years and the support from our loyal community #ADCTERS, I believe we will continue to bring AKUDESIGN™ to the next level.

Personally, building this brand for more than a decade has made me stronger. As the saying goes,

“Experience makes you stronger.”

Through AKUDESIGN™, I have learned to understand myself better and become a better person. The journey has helped me improve my social skills, meet amazing people, and live a life with purpose.

I thank God every day for all the opportunities given throughout this journey. It has truly been a blessing and an incredible rollercoaster ride.

And since the beginning of this journey, I have always held on to one life quote.