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Malaysian BatikVoyagers
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BATIK GUILD MAGAZINE
Fong Wai Ling speaks to some of Malaysia’s prominent designers about the waves they aremaking on the global fashion scene using batik. And who's that voyager who took our batikinto space?
Dato’ Tom Abang Saufi
A strong identity wins ardent fans in London and Europe 
It was familiarity that prompted Sarawakian Dato’ TomAbang Saufi (the Datoship was appropriately con-ferred on her in the past year by the state of Pahang)to set up her boutique in London. Aside from her daysas a student in the London School of Fashion, manyof Dato’ Tom’s family reside in London – including herdaughter – which makes London the perfect site forher first retail store out of Malaysia.Nestled in the high fashion district of ConnaughtVillage, Dato’ Tom’s boutique sits on the same streetas Armani, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, Chanel and other lux-ury brand names on Connaught Street, London.Although it’s been only eight months since thebusiness started, there’s already a steady fan base ofcustomers flocking to her boutique. Dato’ Tombelieves that it is her involvement with Asia House, anon-profit organization that promotes Asian cultureand heritage in London, that helps promote her in theUK market.Setting up her boutique has been the biggest chal-lenge for her – especially as she prefers the creativeside instead of the management side of the business.Dato’ Tom has had to defy impediments by learningthe ropes from scratch. She credits much of her suc-cess to her friends and family who have been atremendous help along the way. Even shoe maestro,Datuk Jimmy Choo, proposed the location for thestore."There were just so many things to learn and it’stough. For example, hidden costs that can easily beoverlooked, the high rent – and marketing batik to aninternational market!"The batik that she sells in London is mainly resortwear – clothes that exude bright and warm colours,light fabrics and bold patterns. They quickly garneredthe attention of Londoners, especially in the summermonths. Tourists from the Middle East are also fastspreading her name and European buyers havebroached the idea of tapping further into theEuropean market by bringing her batik designs intodepartment stores or distributing it through otherchannels. In fact, the idea of being represented bydifferent agents thrills Dato’ Tom even more as shefeels her brand is able to reach more people in thismanner instead of just having a stand alone boutique."Batik is an Asian heritage. Even more, it provides
 
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"I once had a fashion buyerfrom Gucci stop by theboutique who commentedthat batik designs are cleverand adaptable in the sensethat it is wear-friendly andthat, to me, is validtestimony that batik has alot of potential to flourish inthe international market," – 
Dato’ Tom Abang Saufi
a profound identity for us Malaysians. Thus, usingbatik in my designs is only natural as this is my iden-tity," says Dato' Tom when asked why batik remainsher favourite fabric. The designer prefers using batikbecause of the control she is able to exude over it,calling batik, "an amazing medium where art andcraft comes together.""I once had a fashion buyer from Gucci stop bythe boutique who commented that batik designs areclever and adaptable in the sense that it is wear-friendly and that, to me, is valid testimony that batikhas a lot of potential to flourish in the internationalmarket," Dato’ Tom shared."The future of batik is going to be exciting. Thereare so many opportunities for us if local batik makersfirst learn to improvise on the production of batik.People around the world are now championing theenvironment. If we can produce batik using eco-friendly methods, we will definitely garner the world’sattention," said Dato’ Tom, speaking with enthusiasmabout the future of batik.Speaking to Dato' Tom in mid-November, she said:"My shop has been open nearly a year now. Springand Summer were great but winter was difficult anddoes not justify the monthly upkeep. It's been alearning curve." Nevertheless, the exposure has beengood for her brand. "There are shops outside Londonwilling to take my label and we are working on storeslike Selfridges taking my products as well. Once Iestablish other distribution channels I will probablyclose the stand alone shop. It's way too expensiveand I am here in Malaysia a lot of the time. But thereare people in Miami and the Middle East interestedin it. I have been invited to do a batik show in PalmBeach and Miami in January 2008 by a fashionsocialite who saw my products in London as well."As Dato’ Tom shares her experience on being adesigner, she advises that young batik designersshould first discover their identity and harness itlocally before venturing abroad. "Opportunitiesabound when you are good at something. Discoveryour own mode first and then, when you are present-ing your work internationally, you will know howimportant your identity can be because people identi-fy you through your designs no matter how variedthey are."
 
Dato’ Bernard Chandran
Concentration, Consistency and Cooperation will win the day 
There has been no stopping designer Dato’ BernardChandran ever since he established his boutique inKnightsbridge, London, back in January 2004. As wecorresponded via e-mail, Dato’ Bernard Chandran wasshowcasing his label at London Fashion Week 2007.London is a pit stop for this renowned fashiondesigner who is already a household name in ourcountry. "For two years in London, we researched andstudied the market, as we see London as a truly cos-mopolitan city and very much a foundation of fash-ion. It is edgy and there is a great freedom of artisticexpression. Just being there has given me great moti-vation and a fresh perspective on creativity," Dato’Bernard said when asked why he chose London.London did well by him – his Autumn/Winter2005-2006 ready-to-wear collection was a huge suc-cess and his designs spearheaded the London fashionscene that season. Since then, there has been noturning back.Dato’ Bernard’s latest collection to grace theLondon runway,
Petang Raya 07/08 
, has receivedvery positive feedback. With this collection, Dato’Bernard transposes batik with an edgy and moderntwist. "I gave my own interpretation to batik, by mak-ing use of the batik cloth and changing the texture,by pleating it. The result – an urban feel that is bothsmart and chic.""For batik to shine in the international scene, localdesigners have to first embrace change in the way weperceive batik," explains Dato’ Bernard.He believes batik has a lot of potential and mayeven one day be one of the main exports of Malaysiain the same way that textiles and fashion are to coun-tries like Italy, Paris and London."Batik will always have our country’s acceptance.But we have got to embrace change in the way weperceive it. In order for the world to utilise our batik,it must first be relevant to current fashion trends. Wemust get away from just perceiving it as a traditionalmaterial or craft. The designs, the colour palettemust match the latest season. And it should not justbe confined to fish, nature and flower motifs. Whilethose are very unique, they may not be what theworld wants," he explains.
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Faridah Binti Maqbool Rahman

such an informative info! thanks!

reply08 / 25 / 2010
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