Joanna James
As one of Kuala Lumpur's most popular shopping districts, Bukit Bintang is home to a wide range of retail spaces. Here's a rundown of the area's top boutiques and shopping malls.
As the Malaysian capital's first wholesale mall, the Kenanga Wholesale City has become a favourite pit stop for bargain hunters and tourists looking for inexpensive clothing and accessories. Spread out across an impressive 500,000 square feet, the Kenanga Wholesale City is home to a whopping 800 stores which specialize in fashion items, gifts, footwear and apparel. New collections hit the stores every week as the cheaply prized goods literally fly off the shelves as soon as they arrive. The mall is also one of the best places to catch cultural shows and fashion showcases by local designers.
As one of the city's largest shopping malls, the Pavilion KL occupies pride of place in Jalan Bukit Bintang's trendiest zip code. Sprawled across a whopping 1.37 million square feet, the mall is renowned as the best venue for those with a taste for high-end brands and fashion labels. With signature stores of Versace, Diane Von Furstenberg, Yves Saint Laurent and Dolce & Gabbana occupying the venue it is also a couture haven for those who follow the latest trends off the runways of Paris and Milan. Travellers on a budget, however, can step over to the Fashion Avenue region of the mall where more mid-range brands the likes of Forever 21, Mango and Pull & Bear are found.
This five-storey mega mall is also located in an enviable position in Bukit Bintang's most fashionable quarters and was this named after the average yearly temperature of Malaysia. Formerly dubbed the KL Plaza the recently revamped department store is ideal for those in search of affordable fashion items and Japanese brands. While the mall has no more than 300,000 square feet at its disposal, the 280 shops that call it home cover the gamut of lifestyle and consumer products. Charles & Keith, Hat Attack and Rip Curl are just some of the European brands found here alongside Malaysian fashion labels and Japanese retailers the likes of UNIQLO.
As one of the area's oldest shopping hotspots, it is hard to believe that Sungei Wang first opened its doors to the public back in 1977. Spread out over seven floors this spacious mall of 1.2 million square feet is another bargain hunter's dream destination. Divided into the T-Zone and IT Zone, teen fashion items, clothing and tech gear are the mainstays at this popular shopping venue for young urbanites. Visitors based at the Travelodge Bukit Bintang or any similar hotel in Bukit Bintang will find the venue is also ideal for picking up cheap souvenirs. Timepieces, games, costume jewellery and mobile phones are other hot pick items available through a number of vendors at Sungei Wang where the food court is equally well known for its diversity of cuisines.
As another tech mall for the masses, the computers, laptops, IT accessories and CD/DVD stores that are part of this 12 storey mall are among the best in Kuala Lumpur. Speciality shops retailing computer accessories and telecommunication devices are also a popular draw for visitors while Low Yat Plaza is also the best place to buy a charger or get one's phone fixed.
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