Unique handcrafted souvenirs all dolled up in traditional Malay attire

JOHOR BAHRU: Craft maker and entrepreneur Elmi Samanhudi is always on the lookout for creative ideas to diversify her products.

When the 32-year-old talented lady from Kempas ventured into craft-making seriously in 2016, she was designing and making her own range of brooches and other accessories for the hijab.

Realising that there was a good market for Malaysian souvenirs, she then started making her own traditional Malay dress-themed decorative fridge magnets, wall decorations and bookmarks that were marketed under her brand Vinca Label.

Eager to expand her product range, a few months ago she tried her hand at making fabric paper dolls, using just drawing paper, fabric scraps, gum and adhesive tape as raw materials.

Dressed up in traditional Malay attire like baju Melayu and kebaya complete with the appropriate headgear and adornments for the hair, the fabric paper dolls – with magnets attached behind them – are a big hit with tourists.

Elmi markets her crafts at her outlet located at the Johor Craft Complex, here. Traditional Theme “It (craft-making venture) all started with my love for drawing and traditional Malay costumes.

“When I got the opportunity to open a shop at the Johor Craft Complex, I noticed that tourists tend to look for small souvenirs that are convenient for them to take home with them.

“That was when I got the idea to produce fridge magnets, wall decorations and bookmarks,” Elmi told Bernama, when met at the pre-Design Market 2018 event that took place at the Johor Craft Complex earlier this month.

Organised by the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (Kraftangan Malaysia), Design Market 2018 will take place from Dec 15 to 18 at the Johor Craft Complex as a platform for local handicraft designers, arts activists, creative design industry players and craft entrepreneurs to showcase their works and share ideas.

Elmi said she chose the traditional theme for her products as she felt that Malaysia’s arts and traditions were on a par with that of other countries.

“By highlighting Malaysia’s identity and culture through my crafts cum souvenirs, I’m trying to tell the world that our arts, culture and traditions are not only beautiful and unique but something that we are proud of.

“In terms of traditional attire, we have many different types of costumes and accessories and each state has its own specialities. Johor is known for its traditional attire featuring the ‘teluk belanga’ and ‘cekak sejari’ designs,” she said.

Elmi had also previously designed a range of fridge magnets that featured the different ways the women of this country wore the hijab.

She was pleasantly surprised when the magnets were quickly snapped up tourists, particularly from Taiwan and Japan.

“They must have felt that it was a fitting souvenir to take home,” she added. Add more value Firmly believing that the craft industry should not remain static, Elmi said entrepreneurs like her have to be bold enough to diversify their crafts and designs to ensure the sustainability of the industry.

Her fabric paper dolls have inspired her to come up with a plan to conduct interactive activities with the public and tourists, where they will get the opportunity to assemble their own dolls under her expert guidance.

“All this while I have only been making and selling crafts. I’m sure the interactive activities will give me much more satisfaction as I will get to teach people to make their own dolls,” she said.

For her interactive sessions, Elmi plans to produce a fabric paper doll kit containing the template for the doll (cut out of drawing paper), fabric scraps (that can be fashioned into traditional Malay outfits), headgear and adornments.

The participants will also be provided gum, scissors, knife and adhesive tape to put the doll together.

“The participants are given a free hand to attach the cloth scraps onto the template. As for the head accessories, they will have different types of adornments to choose from... it all depends on the creativity of the doll maker,” she said, adding that she also planned to incorporate the traditional costumes of other Malaysian races for her fabric paper dolls. Kraftangan Malaysia Giving credit to Kraftangan Malaysia for organising programmes like Design Market 2018, Elmi said such events allowed craft entrepreneurs and operators to expand their network of business partners and hold brainstorming sessions with other craft makers.

“The opportunity to participate in various activities and craft competitions has exposed me to knowledge related to this industry, which has enabled me to be more creative and innovative,” she added.

Meanwhile, Design Market 2018 project director Khairul Hafizi Naharuddin said the event was expected to be a medium to showcase crafts that have the potential to be enhanced and commercialised.

Besides the fabric paper dolls, other products that will be showcased are the traditional kite or ‘wau’ and musical instruments like the kompang and angklung.

“The public will have the chance to take a look at crafts that have been given a new look to meet the current demand.

For example, the ‘wau’ has been incorporated in keychains, lockets and bookmarks to enhance its commercial value and generate a higher income for the craft makers concerned,” added Khairul.