While it’s nice that malls have gift shops convenient for last-minute buys (sorry for the well-meaning but generic gift, birthday person), it’s nicer when you get to choose from a well-curated (and localised) range of products and designs.
Meet Naiise, KL’s best bet for unique, fun, under-the-radar items. Founded in Singapore in 2013 by Dennis Tay as an online sales site that curates locally made products and supports local artisans, Naiise now has six outlets across Singapore and London, with the KL outpost in The Zhongshan Building their latest and the first in Malaysia.
Designed to fit into the overall aesthetics of Zhongshan with tiled black and white floors reminiscent of old kopitiams, exposed concrete and white walls, the outlet is a calming space. The main idea for Naiise KL is to provide a communal space where Malaysians can be exposed to local brands and artisans, as well as to create a retail channel for local artisans.
There are about 800-1,000 items in store, from notebooks by Mossery, candles by Hush, plenty of tea brands (look for Ette Tea’s nasi lemak and chicken rice flavoured tea!) to home furnishing products. Look out for Malaysian cookbooks by Lee Sook Ching, Rita Zahara and Chef Zan, as well as an overwhelming selection of decadent salted egg yolk chips stacked near the books. Accessories-wise, pick up Alfie de Meow necklaces, rings and brooches; ten percent of their revenue goes to their adopted cat charity to benefit the local cat community. There’s also the obvious crowd favourite: Meykrs' oversized plushies of childhood snacks such as curry puffs, iced gem biscuits, pandan cake and even fruits like mangosteens and durians. We also spotted beautiful 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles of classic Malay films like ‘Pendekar Bujang Lapok’, ‘Hang Tuah’, ‘Aloha’ and ‘Berdosa’.
If you can't swing by, all of their products can also be found online. At the back of the store, there's a space where future workshops will be conducted (keep tabs on their site and social media for updates) as well as the entrance to Tommy le Baker, where you’ll find the best smoked salmon tartines the city has to offer.