Boy’s comfort zone
IT was the same every Hari Raya. Razlan Dawood couldn’t keep his three-year-old son Rheaz in his baju Melayu for very long.
By mid-morning, the young boy would be fussing and pulling at his clothes, a sure sign that he was ready to ditch the traditional outfit for something he could tear round the house in.
And just like that, the brand new traditional outfit would be kept away and never worn again.
So, Razlan approached his friends, Sue Chan and Renesh Singh, who own an accessories shop that sells contemporary and cool butang baju Melayu (shirt studs), and asked them to come up with a line of comfortable baju Melayu for boys.
“I implored them to create a line of wearable traditional wear for boys. There are so many options for girls but choices for boys are limited.
“My parents used to just get us a shirt and pants for Raya, but parents these days want to buy baju Melayu for their children,” he shares.
Chan and Renesh had been toying with the idea of expanding their business, Zoo For People (www.zooforpeople.com), and Razlan’s push spurred them to roll out their first collection of baju Melayu for boys.
“When Razlan approached us earlier this year, we decided to go ahead and do it,” says Chan.
Razlan’s request was that the outfits needed to be comfortable, and made with materials that wouldn’t chafe his son’s tender skin.
Chan and Renesh took his feedback and looked at Rheaz’s stack of old baju Malayu as reference.
They decided to use 100% cotton for
their boys collection and designed a loose fit to prioritise comfort. To extend the life span of the baju, the pants have cuffs that can easily be taken down to accommodate growth spurts. The sleeves of the baju also have button tabs, so they can be folded up. The challenge, says Renesh, was coming up with a collection that looked good and resolved the problems parents like Razlan have dressing their children in traditional wear.
“Our baju Melayu for children is adjustable everywhere – the pants, the sleeves and even the sampin.
“And we made sure the tailoring was done well, as it makes a difference in the overall look of the outfit,” he says, adding that their boys’ baju Melayu is produced locally.
Zoo For People was founded in 2014, selling handmade accessories for men. They offer cuff links, tie clips, knitted ties and bracelets. But it’s their butang baju Melayu that are most sought after.
Their collection is playful and contemporary, different from traditional studs that are almost always gold or made with rhinestones.
“We noticed that everyone wears the same classic style of studs on their baju Melayu, so we thought that we could offer a line that was different.
“We started with our Lego line and then motifs such as ikat, songket, Superhero characters and geometric designs. Now, we also have studs with stones,” explains Renesh.
The brand has attracted quite a following – from 16-year-olds to 60-year-olds – as more and more men are looking to add aesthetic value to their traditional outfits with playful and unique studs.
Razlan is a loyal customer; he jokes that he sustains his friends’ business with his purchases.
“The one thing that makes you stand out in your baju Melayu is the kain sampin. But no one pays attention to the studs.
“But when they came up with the Lego ones, people started to see studs as another way to make a statement, without it being too expensive,” explains Razlan.