Islamic Fashion Festival chairperson Raja Rezza Shah, who was in the entourage of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor when she visited an Australian designer boutique, says she made no sizeable purchase.
Responding to Malaysiakini , Raja Rezza ( left ) said the 61 pieces purchased at the Carl Kapp Shop in Paddington in Sydney, Australia, recently were actually "stock" for his shop in London.
Asked if these items included Rosmah's purchases, he said: "Yes, these are stock for my shop in London, which will be a platform for designers of different religions and races from around the world."
He, however, did not reveal how many pieces Rosmah has bought.
Raja Rezza, who is currently abroad to promote the Islamic Fashion Festival , added that he was upset that such "positive activity has been negatively manipulated".
Rosmah is the patron of the Islamic Fashion Festival.
Kapp in a statement to Malaysiakini last week said the PM's wife and her entourage, including Raja Rezza, had visited his shop and had made various separate purchases.
The South African-born designer was responding to queries following a report that estimated Rosmah could have spent up to A$100,000 (RM323,000) at his store.
Flown in for fittings?
In his column in prominent Australian newspaper Sydney Morning Herald , journalist Andrew Hornery reported that Kapp said he was being flown to Malaysia with "toiles" (test garments) for Rosmah to try on before completing the 61 orders.
In response, Kapp said he was not going to Kuala Lumpur for the sole purpose of Rosmah's fittings and that he never discloses amounts spent by his VIP customers.
His carefully worded statement also did not dispute fashion journalist Patty Huntington, who in her blog Frockwriter quoted Kapp as saying that Najib's wife had bought 61 garments.
Hornery also reported that Rosmah and Najib stayed at Darling Hotel penthouse, which costs about A$20,000 (RM64,660) a night, during their private holiday.
According to Huntington, Kapp went to the penthouse on New Year's eve to show his fabric samples to Rosmah.
Rosmah said the reports were "untrue" and "wild exaggerations".
Both Hornery and Huntington have stood by their reports.
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