Plie Malaysia x The Stories

Why You Should Consider a Maternity Photoshoot?

Pregnancy is a special time in a woman’s life. Your body is going through some amazing changes, and there's a wonderful miracle of life developing inside you. Amidst all the time and energy spent planning to welcome your baby into the world, a maternity shoot may be the last thing you want to add to your list of things to do. However, you will never have this moment (with this baby) again, so why not take the time to celebrate your pregnancy? 

If you’re on the fence about having a maternity shoot, here are 5 great reasons to consider it!

1. Document your journey into motherhood 

Whether this is your first pregnancy, or your last, every pregnancy is unique. A maternity photoshoot is a wonderful way to celebrate your journey to becoming a mother. After all this will be some of the most significant transitions you will go through in your life. From the moment your baby is born, your life will change and as time passes, you may even forget the feeling of being pregnant. Your maternity photos will help you cherish and remember these special moments before your family grows.

2. Celebrate your body  

Yes, pregnancy is a magical time but it can come with its challenges - after all you are growing a human! It's understandable to sometimes feel less than your best and in the midst of the difficult moments, it’s easy to forget how miraculous pregnancy can be. 

A maternity photo session allows you to focus on the new life your body is working so hard to create, and can remind you of the excitement that comes with welcoming your child into the world. In fact, the photoshoot can help you appreciate the beautiful aspects of pregnancy by focusing on things like your glowing skin and the baby bump and help document all that your body has gone through during the journey to motherhood.

3. Pamper yourself 

In the days leading up to your baby’s arrival, you will find yourself with a growing list of things to do – babyproofing your home, packing your hospital bag, picking up all the essentials and more. A maternity photoshoot is a wonderful opportunity to take a break and focus on celebrating you and the beautiful new life you're bringing into the world!

The photo session is also the perfect opportunity for some self-love. Let’s face it: during pregnancy, most of us don’t feel like we’re at our most beautiful. Dressing up in a way that accentuates your bump, getting your hair and makeup done and taking a day off to pamper yourself will remind you of how beautiful you are.

4. Bond with your partner and family 

A maternity photoshoot is a lovely chance to connect with your partner and capture those precious family moments before everything changes. Between the hecticness of preparing for your little one’s arrival, the session can give the two of you dedicated time and space to celebrate your relationship and the new life you’re welcoming together. If you already have children, this is a great way to involve them in this process and create a cherished experience with their new sibling. Your interactions captured during the session can help immortalize everyone’s feelings as your family embarks on this new chapter together.

5. Create a timeless keepsake 

Life's milestones are truly special. Why not celebrate pregnancy as a special milestone that you and your baby share? After all, it’s common for people to display their engagement or wedding photos in their home. Why not document the stages of your family’s growth in this manner as well? Photos are the story of your life, and maternity photos will beautifully capture a moment in time that will be so cherished as your family grows.

Maternity is a special time that you will cherish forever, and it’s absolutely a moment that is worthy of professional photography. If you’re looking for a maternity shoot, The Stories packages start at RM580 for a 30 min weekday session. Contact them at +6017-6120717 for more details. 

Celebrate your pregnancy with comfort and care from Plie Malaysia.

If you're looking for maternity shapewear to support you throughout your pregnancy journey, look no further. Plie Malaysia offers thoughtfully designed maternity shapewear that provides gentle compression, improves posture and relieves discomfort. Made from breathable, stretchable fabric, it adapts to your changing body while ensuring optimal support and all-day comfort. Click here for more information about our maternity shapewear. 

By Stories Lifestyle 

Stories’ Lifestyle is a lifestyle photography studio based in Kuala Lumpur, consisting of a team of passionate photographers and videographers who love capturing emotions and moments for couples and families. To learn more, or to book a maternity photoshoot, please visit their website, or drop them a WhatsApp at +6017-612 0717.

Pliē’s First Anniversary 

On Saturday, the 21st of August, we celebrated Pliē’s first anniversary party via zoom and it was a blast! 60 gift packs were delivered prior to the event to partners and people who have supported us along the way. 

 In that span of just 2 hours, we had the privilege of meeting a group of diverse women, discussed our experiences with these amazing Pliē products and enjoyed giving away some of them to a few lucky winners- 13 prizes in total worth RM4,500. 

Together with 40 other women and our team, we commemorated how far we’ve come in the past year. Let’s do a quick recap. 

How Pliē Malaysia began

Our founder, Adeline C, was 6 months pregnant and like all of us, was dealing with the pandemic when she started Pliē Malaysia in August 2020. It hasn’t been easy for her but because of her belief in and passion for the product along with her love for women in our community, she’s made this so much more than just a functional shapewear brand. 

 Together with a like minded team (made up of mums btw!) we decided early on that Pliē would be about supporting and empowering women through our quality products, but also through the community that we build. We believe that it’s important that as women, we feel strong and confident while working towards the best versions of ourselves. 

What we have achieved 

As expected, starting and running a business in the middle of Covid set up some interesting challenges for us. There were times we questioned if we made the right choice. But we were spurred on by each other’s perseverance, inspired by the women we had the honour of meeting and simply convinced by the effectiveness of the products we tried and tested. 

Looking back, we realize just how much we were able to accomplish in this first year. We list them below, humbled and grateful. 

In just a year, Pliē Malaysia has:

• Introduced a range of high-quality products (including Emana, maternity and fitness) to support women in whatever stages of life they are in, from pregnancy to postpartum, to fitness and every day activities. 

• Fostered community by networking with more than 80 Malaysian women to highlight relevant issues together.

• Created over 500 posts which related to current, essential awareness around taboo but essential topics from infertility, to illness, to work-life balance and mental health through our weekly live streams.

• Interviewed 60 speakers who are leaders in their fields or/and have powerful stories to share.

• We've built a community of dedicated and loyal customers, got to know new customers and garnered over 15,000 views of our Let's Talk Plie series.

Future plans- Stronger together

Moving forward, we hope to build on the foundation that’s been set in this first year. We’ve refined our goals, strengthened our strategies and are excited to keep investing in the lives of women. 

An African proverb reads, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.’

At Pliē Malaysia, we truly believe in the power of community. We know that when one of us struggles, all of us struggle and in the same way, when one of us succeeds, all of us succeed. 

In this next season, we will strive to keep celebrating all women- from various backgrounds in all shapes, sizes and colours. We honour everyone’s journey and hope to empower them to take the next step forward- wherever they are. We will continue to invest in our bodies, but also our minds and souls- building a shapewear brand that is respectful and supportive of every individual. 

We look forward to forming more bridges, and to keep speaking to entrepreneurs, mums, wives, and leaders remembering that there’s so much we can learn from each other. 

We truly believe that we are ‘stronger together’ and we thank you for being a part of our journey. It’s certainly been a wild ride- we’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve socially distanced. Mostly, we hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have and we look forward to more good times together.

Dear Husband and Daddy/ Ayah/ Papa to our kids, 

Today and always, we love you more than we can ever say. 

It’s so easy to go unnoticed when mothers are the ones who are often celebrated. Today we want to take the time to acknowledge, appreciate and honour you. 

I still remember those early days of parenthood and how hard and long they were. I struggled so much adjusting to this new role as mum that I didn’t realise that you too were equally affected. There was so much attention on baby and me, but so little support for you as a new dad- yet you did what you could to hold us all together. In those fragile times, you were our rock. And you know what, you still are. 

Thank you for your quiet strength. For your stability. For your steadfastness. 

Photo by César Abner Martínez Aguilar on Unsplash

And then came the sleepless nights and the never ending chores. Only you truly understand what it was like for us as a family. We tagged team sleeptimes, discussed various strategies and felt like zombies together! And when I struggled with their tantrums and lost my cool, you would try to get home early, watch the kids and prepare- ok fine, tapau dinner- even after a full day of work. 

And when some aunty would criticise our parenting and I felt my temperature rising, you’d give me that look that said- let it go, we’ve got this. It reminded me that we were in this together. It’s hard to challenge the rigid ideas of gender that came from our upbringing but you decided early on to be the person you intend to raise. It wasn’t easy, there were disagreements and tears but we more than anything we fought for each other. You and I were partners, no matter what other people said. 

Thank you for treating me as your equal. For valuing your role as husband and father. 

Photo by Helena Lopes from Pexels

Some days I look at you and I can tell that you’re going through hard stuff on your own. It’s been such a crazy year (or two). In one way or another, we’re affected by Covid, the endless MCOs and the uncertainty of it all. We’re all tired and I can tell you are too. 

Working from home meant being with us 24/7 and while that sounded wonderful in theory, we all know what a struggle it was. You told me you felt our of place, you felt guilty for losing your temper, you missed your space and you wondered if that meant you were a bad father. 

In case I didn’t make it clear enough, the fact that you wondered that makes you a wonderful work-in-progress father. It just takes time to adjust. A lot of us mums have just had more practice- we’ve been through the learning curve and we’ll help you through it- no judgment. 

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

Clearly, the world isn’t an easy place for men who want to love well. The stressors are real and we’re often brought up not to ask for help. I see signs of sadness and anxiety that you try so hard to hide. But today, I want to tell you that it’s ok and it’s right to talk about it. That you can be honest and vulnerable and strong all at the same time. 

That we love you for who you are- that includes your insecurities, your weaknesses and all the stuff you carry. We just want you to know you don’t have to bear the weight of it all alone. 

Thank you for your courage to be vulnerable. For choosing honesty and humility in a culture that sadly celebrates indifference and pride. Our kids are so lucky to have such a role model.

Finally, thank you for choosing to love in spite of and despite everything else. For showing up daily, to the messy, the beautiful, the magical and mundane that makes up our family life. For getting up every time you fall, for standing up for what’s right and true, for making up even when you're not the one who was wrong to begin with. You inspire us to be better people every day. 

We love you, we honour you, we’re so proud to call you ours. 

Happy Father’s Day!  

Photo by Brittani Burns on Unsplash

If there’s anything we want as mums, it’s to feel empowered and supported from pregnancy through postpartum. 

Filza Ong in Pliē Maternity High Waist Shorts

From the moment we find out we’re pregnant, pure excitement and joy flood us. But as time passes, you can’t deny the growing anxiety about what will happen, what will change. Will we make good mums? How do we best prepare ourselves for birth and beyond?

Being mums ourselves, at Pliē we want mums to be supported in this daunting but special chapter of life. And we do this through our innovative lingerie. 

Can Pliē lingerie make a difference?

But, how do lingerie and leggings help you may ask? Can they really make a difference?

Our answer is a resounding yes! Much like how you may dress up to feel good for a party, what you wear can have a direct effect on how you feel and think about yourself. 

Ezzati in Pliē Maternity High Waist Leggings

Our products are designed to support women and to help them live more confidently, more freely, more comfortably in their own skin. 

But there’s more. The benefits aren’t just psychological, there are many proven physical benefits too. 

Come along as we walk through how Pliē supports women in pregnancy and postpartum and beyond. 

Pliē in pregnancy

We talk a lot about the pregnancy glow. Some women develop great skin, full hair and just feel wonderful as an expectant mum. 

But the truth is, most of us will encounter some of the harder parts of pregnancy. This includes morning or all day sickness, bloating, mood swings, water retention and backaches. 

Honestly, it’s a struggle to feel good and confident when we’re battling aches or constant discomfort. 

Here’s where Pliē maternity comes in. 

Pliē Maternity 

Our maternity range is designed to help you enjoy every pregnancy moment. 

Remember those aches and discomforts we mentioned? Our pieces are engineered to hold up your belly and strengthen your back to minimize aches and promote overall wellness. Made with expectant mums in mind, they are comfortable enough for daily wear providing the necessary support throughout each stage of pregnancy- from when baby is the size of a sesame seed to a proper watermelon. 

The benefits for the maternity and wellness range are multiple- reducing back pain, swelling and discomfort and promoting a healthy and comfortable pregnancy. 

Our most popular items include our maternity shorts and leggings. The shorts are generally worn as undergarments, whereas the leggings are used for casual wear. They’re both made from high quality materials, help regulate body temperature (hot flushes anyone?), minimise aches and pains and are suitable for daily use.

 There’s also a wellness range that targets expecting mums who enjoy a good yoga session or a general workout- we see you active mums! These items are made with a Nilit duomix fabric making it ideal for comfortable, supported and safe exercise sessions. 

While the products may differ in function, all of them have the same benefits:

• Provide support for growing bellies
• Reduced back pain and discomfort 
• Prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy
• Minimize the appearance of stretchmarks
• Comfortable for long hours
• Improved blood flow
• Regulate body temperature
• Seamless and minimal exposure of shapewear line under clothes
• Butt lift technology

Ezzati in Pliē Maternity High Waist Shorts right after birth

Finally, the maternity series are great to use even during postpartum recovery. They continue to support the belly, reduce pain and promote overall wellness. 

Plie for postpartum care

People often say that postpartum care is super important. We cannot agree more. The body goes through immense changes in pregnancy and birth and those months after are crucial to a mum’s health and wellness. 

Once again Plie’s got your back with our outstanding Emana series. 

Arifah using Pliē Emana High Waist Leggings while multi-tasking

Emana gives you that extra boost and support so you can worry about the other things you’ve got going on.

Emana series

We still remember those few months post delivery, looking ourselves in the mirror and learning to come to grips with our new mum bods. But it’s not just about celebrating our new fullness, it’s about getting the support we need to grow into the strong and brave mums we were meant to be- for our kids and for ourselves.

This is why our best-selling Emana® products are essential. Made with postpartum mums in mind, Emana® doesn’t just provide instant shaping- it promotes overall strength in your recovery. Comfortable for wearing night or day, it helps with blood circulation, boosts metabolism and burns calories. Yes, have that well-deserved piece of cake guilt-free!

Joan in Pliē Emana High Waisted Leggings

But how does it works? And what’s so unique?

Emana® is unique because of its properties. It’s the only fabric with bioactive crystals embedded in it. The crystals respond to your body heat by emitting Infrared Rays which stimulates blood circulation. This leads to better skin and general health- something we all could use. 

But it doesn’t stop there. Emana® can be used through postpartum and beyond. Now that you have a little one, you’ll find yourself doing lots bending, lifting and carrying. Emana® works with you to improve your posture and strengthen your lower back. If you’ve spoken to older mums, they will tell you how at risk we are to back strains (ouch!) and how important it is to prevent it. 

There’s also the benefit of reduced period pains and more regular periods. After months of not having to deal with periods, there will come a time for most of us when those yucky cramps and aches show up again. Well, our Emana® leggings and shorts are perfect for relieving those discomforts so that you can go on being the boss mum that you know you are.

It’s clear that the Emana® line is pretty special and purchasing it isn’t the same as buying just another pair of leggings. Rest assured that these products are made to last. It’s an investment that will benefit you in that crucial postpartum period but also beyond. 

From pregnancy to postpartum and beyond- we at Pliē are glad to have your back. 

Filza in Pliē Emana High Waist Shorts

Looking for more information on our new arrivals? Read on to get more information about our latest product ranges!