About us
THE SELANGOR TAILOR'S GUILD
1970s
The Lineage of Craft
The story of tailoring in this part of the world begins in Shanghai at the turn of the 20th century. Migrant tailors from Ningbo, trained by British and Russian houses, built a reputation for precision and innovation. Their brotherhood, known as the Red Gang, devised systems of cutting and pressing that could shape cloth for the Western frame while preserving Chinese ingenuity. *
When revolution unsettled China, these craftsmen carried their skills south. Many resettled in Hong Kong, where their artistry met the Cantonese tradition—one shaped for Chinese physiques, less sculpted, more restrained. Together, these schools of thought created the distinct tailoring landscape of Hong Kong, nurtured by European clients, later sustained by Americans and Japanese, and eventually adapted to Italian cloths and global tastes. *
Those that didn’t settle in Hong Kong sailed across the South China Sea to British Malaya They studied garments, observed Western colonials, and devised their own cutting systems to meet the demands of their clientele. In time, masters from Shanghai were brought in, embedding their techniques into Malayan ateliers. These masters established houses of their own, creating sects and styles—some even whispered as the Red Gang of Malaya—weaving mystery and distinction into the trade.
THE COMPENDIUM
From this mingling of cultures, a lineage was born: Malaysian tailoring, descended from Chinese forefathers, refined by British influence, and hardened by necessity. Over the decades, the craft passed from hand to hand, generation to generation, each one adding nuance, resilience, and precision.
Today, Compendium stands as a continuation of this story. A house shaped by the trials of the past and the quiet brilliance of the present—rooted in Southeast Asia, descended from forefathers who stitched with intuition and resolve, now reimagined for the modern man. We are the fourth and fifth generation of tailors, heirs to a craft born in Shanghai’s lanes, perfected in Malaya’s shopfronts, and now carried forward in Kuala Lumpur.
The needle has not broken. The thread has not ended. It runs still—through us, through every garment, through The Compendium.
THE COMPENDIUM 2025
from left to right,
Zhen Yang, Andrew Teo, Evan Loh& cutter / tailor, Leow ho Keng
A quiet ode to friendship, craft, and the subtle joy of dressing with intention. Born in Kuala Lumpur, our atelier stands as a modern house of bespoke, where garments are shaped to outlast trends and remain timeless.
Rooted in the lineage of Southeast Asian tailoring, where our forefathers once honed their craft for Western patrons, we inherit their discipline, their precision, and their quiet adaptability.
This legacy lives on in every stitch, carried forward with purpose into the present.
We believe form follows function. Each piece is a dialogue between past and present - classic forms reimagined with contemporary ease. Rooted in tradition yet alive to innovation, our work seeks balance: between precision and comfort, permanence and change.
The Compendium is a way of seeing; timeless, purposeful,
and quietly enduring clothing.