Written by Cheong Jane-Menn
The sound of a big ol’ bike revving over your conversation, the leather jackets, tattoos and a sense of badassery – for the guys at Mutha Puaka, doing what they do and how they do it has never been driven by the public’s opinion – it’s about not giving a f*ck about what people think. With a passion for riding a machine built on two wheels, the collective has paved a way for Malaysian motorcyclists and enthusiasts of the biker subculture by always keeping it real. From their events at The Gasket Alley to the T-shirts they make, Mutha Puaka has united people across the country to identify with their love for custom motorbikes regardless of who they are or where they have come from.
So where did all of this begin?
The holy quaternity is made up of Eddy, Faizal, Brian and Meng who run the show. Having come a long way from their humble beginnings in 2014, the overwhelming response the label has gotten has definitely encouraged the guys to continue doing what they do. With dreams of being able to ride and modify their own bikes from an early age, the guys came together through this to form the label that promotes a lifestyle that comes with a very distinct identity and personality.
One example posted on their Instagram page.
This is exhibited through their sense of humour that seems to be a running theme with everything they make; from the captions on their Instagram posts to the words they put on to their T-shirts. The conceptualisation and materialisation of these thoughts is a joint effort of the four, with Eddy on the words and Faizal who sorts out the designs. Though they wouldn’t necessarily associate themselves with being a fashion label. As Meng describes it, “Mutha Puaka is life. The products are merely an extension of the idea. You can be a Mutha Puaka even if you don’t wear any of our goods”.
“I stay relevant to myself. Nothing else matters” – Faizal
With the success that they have had and the support they have received. This doesn’t come solely from bikers but often from people who do not ride. Although very much respected by the biker community, they are a “motorcycle collective that is supported more by non-bikers than bikers”. With custom motorcycles as the core of the collective, Mutha Puaka is definitely not limited to just being all about riding choppers. It is more an outlet for different people, be it music, skateboarding or art.
We also asked the guys about the struggles of continuously staying relevant. To them the “notion of staying relevant is irrelevant” and they would much rather put onto the table things that they themselves take pride in and are not fazed by comparison with other brands as this will surely outlast the constant idea of trend-chasing. Something to note as well is that Mutha Puaka doesn’t associate themselves with being in fashion; very much the opposite in fact. When asked about their aesthetic, Eddy explained saying, “I don’t think ‘aesthetic’ is the right word to use in regards to MP. We’re not about a look, certainly not uniformity. That’s why our own cuts (biker slang for club’s vest) all look different from each other’s but we’re all part of the same crew”.
Mutha Puaka does not reprint and due to the nature of this and the success of the label there are definitely going to be fakes and the guys aren’t the type to keep quiet about this. The guys have known to be quite vocal about plagiarism and this was clear when Tealive stole a line from the collective’s motto, “Never Bully The Weak, Never Fear The Strong”. As the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and when asked about how they felt about this, Eddy simply said, “I’m not too worried about copycats because we are ahead of them, they’re always waiting for our next move.”
So what can we expect in the near future?
For those of you who are unaware of what Puaka Run is, it’s a motorcycle run in which participants go to different locations draw a card and whoever has the best poker hand at the end of the run wins. With the positive response over the years, the guys plan to switch it up this year, with Brian teasing it as “more than another short ride and giveaways at the end”, going on to say that they plan to make it more likened to a mini-festival that melds together all things MP.
Hikari Riders X Mutha Puaka
Having done a few collaborations in the past with Thinker Studios and more recently Hikari Riders, the guys have a couple of collaborations in the works – one with Mark Ong of SBTG and another with Beetle Helmets. Though when asked about who they would like to work within the future, Faizal mentioned that he would personally want to work with a boots label like Wesco, White’s Boots or Red Wing. Meng added saying he would want to collaborate with Loser Machine as the two labels resonate on the same levels of not taking things too seriously. Eddy, on the other hand, shared his want to work with FUCT founder, Erik Brunetti as he has very high respect for his strong principles.
As for the clothing line, Mutha Puaka has things in store and we’ll have to stay tuned for the next drop in which Meng says will include things like “your daily essentials to your favourite cookies.”
So there you have it. At the end of the day, Mutha Puaka is not just a brand, but rather a lifestyle that places its focus on motorcycle and brotherhood culture, because regardless of your background, all are welcome, under the banner of being a Mutha Puaka.
