YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS HOLD FUTURE OF BATIK
Their creative designs draw the crowd at batik fest
THE future of batik in Malaysia rests in the hands of young batik entrepreneurs who are continuing to pursue the traditional art.
This was evident at Batik Fest 2019, with them displaying their creative designs such as batik pareo, batik shirt and even batik earrings, which have sparked interest among the public, especially the younger ones.
Maryam Mutalib, 25, the founder of batik accessories brand Maryam Bayam, said batik was a sustainable business due to its heritage value.
“There will always be someone wanting to buy and wear batik because it’s our identity.
“People would want to hold on to something that has existed a long time.
“I hope through my brand, which features batik earrings and headbands, I can promote local batik in a pop culture way to entice younger customers.
“Also, my customers comprise Malaysians and foreign tourists who love batik.
“In a way, having batik reintroduced in another form has generated much interest,” she said at Batik Fest 2019, which ended yesterday at the Malaysia Tourism Centre (Matic), here.
Maryam, who started her batik brand in 2017, said it was her first showcase at a batik event and was encouraged after receiving a good response from local and foreign tourists.
She added that her products were made from batik sarong, sourced from Terengganu.
Another batik seller, Azeera Uzahirah Abdul Hakim, 24, the creative director of Destar Lestari Sdn Bhd, hopes to create more batik designs for men.
Her company, which started as a family business with her parents and brother, sells tanjak (headgear) as her father was involved in silat.
Three months ago, the company started to sell batik shirts for men.
“After customising tanjak, we thought of expanding our traditional menswear products since we love to highlight local culture. So we came up with batik clothing.
“I noticed that there is a market for menswear, so we designed shirts from kain pelikat.
The response from customers is good.
“They tell us the material is soft and cooling.
“The kain batik or pelikat we use is sourced from Samarinda, Indonesia, and Terengganu. We also use local batik and songket for our tanjak.”
“Nowadays, I realise that many people are not comfortable with wearing traditional outfits.
“Hopefully, with more sellers blending local batik into their designs, that will change and more will learn to appreciate our batik culture.”