Doing laundry for the royals
One of the few surviving traditional laundry shops in Johor Baru is about to have its plate full again with the coming of Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar’s coronation anniversary.
Chiew Kek Whye, 66, who took over the Shanghai Dhoby shop after his father’s retirement in 1988, said they are expected to receive special orders from the palace soon.
“The palace sends items such as napkins, tablecloths, curtains, sheets and sometimes carpets here nearly every week.
“We wash and iron each item with our own hands as that would allow us to ensure that it gets the best care,” he said.
Chiew added that the coronation anniversary is often a busy time for them as the palace would send bags of laundry before and after the ceremony.
“We are also careful when handling items embroidered with the royal Johor emblem to ensure that the thread does not come off,” he said.
According to Chiew, his family’s laundry shop has served the royal family for almost eight decades and across four generations.
“We are expected to shut down the shop in June due to the rising rental, but we will continue to run the business from home.
“Officials from the palace will keep sending laundry to our home in Setia Indah, where we will continue to hand-wash all the items,” he said.
Chiew learnt the subtle craft of laundry washing from his parents while growing up at the Shanghai Dhoby shop here along Jalan Tan Hiok nee.
His mother Yap Chwee Lan, who is now 94, said she and her husband Chiew Seng Leun had just opened the laundry shop when they received an unexpected visit from the Johor palace officials.
“We received a visit from an officer representing the Johor royal family, and I was summoned to the palace as the Ruler had a few orders to give to me directly.
“It was just after the Japanese troops left Malaya and we were anticipating an interesting time here, but the visit was not something we expected,” Yap said, adding that she did not know why the palace choose their laundry shop in the first place.
Yap said she started engaging with the palace in the early 1940s during the reign of the second Ruler of Modern Johor, Almarhum Sultan Sir Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Abu Bakar.
“The Sultan had ordered us to do laundry for the palace and in the beginning, only items such as napkins, bed sheets, curtains and tablecloths were sent to us.
“Meanwhile, the royals’ personal clothing was handled by their own home staff,” she said.
Yap said they also washed clothes belonging to the palace officers and that each officer was allowed to send 15 items of clothing to the shop.
“eventually, the Sultan started sending his personal attire to us. He would sometimes summon me to the palace if he had any special requests regarding his clothes.
“I found him quite charming and despite his tough exterior, he was a rather soft-spoken and chivalrous gentleman.
“Although he was the Sultan, it sometimes felt like I was just talking to an old friend as there were no formalities imposed,” she said.
The next two Sultans would also engage with her in person if they had any special requests with regards to the laundry or if any of the clothes needed some mending.
“But I have never met the current Sultan as I had already retired when he became the Ruler.
“I do have some memories of him and his brother when they were younger,” she said, adding that the late Sultan Ibrahim started a tradition that spanned four generations and was expected to continue.