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the Science Design
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Otigtualpmper
Received March 26,2001,Accepted April10, 2002

RETROSPECTIVE SURVEY ON MALAY

TRADITIONAL CLOTHES
Types of Clothesused in SocietalActivities
by Malay Females

Nazlina SHAARI", Fumio TERAUCHI"",Mitsunori KUBO"", Hiroyuki AOKI**

" GraduateSchoolofScience
and 7;echnology,
C7;iba
Uhiversity,
}kyoi-cho1-33 inage-ku,Cliiba
263-852ZJopan
"
FbcultyofEhgineering,
C7iibaUitiversic}1
}byoi-cho 1-33 inage-ku,Chiba 263-8521 Japan

Abstract: Clothing refiects the status of the wearer, From the historicalpointof view, the appearance of

clothingisdealinga lotwith the textiles. Exquisiterich texturesor woven with gold and silveT threads for
royalty and the rich, The functional and long-lasting fabricswere for the working class. In the
post-modem era, the traditional clothing had reformed aggressively in the Malay culture. The strong
infiuenceand adaptation from Western had given them a different kind of social documentationin
dressing the traditional clothes. Presented here is the attire that has stood the test of time- Bciju Kitrung
and Boju Klebaya.Late]y,young and old femaleswear these typed of clothes as dailywear. These
researches were aimed to identifythe common typed of traditionalclothes worn among the females
during working. It is also to identifyfemalesview on clothes as p}easurable state or desire state. These

researches were evaluated by using various analyses such as dernographic analysis and SD methods in
order to obtain the results. They are two categories of clothes being identifiedas TraditionalTyped and

Neo- Traditional Typed. It showed the glimpse of both clothes were run across social bordersof
Malaysian doing their everyday things. Resultsdemonstratedthat females were tied with performing

cultural identity
and the transformation of clothing va]ues fortheirfashiontrends.
Kley wortts: TYaditionatclothes Socialactivities 1)'aditionalmpe,IVbo-traditionatcytpe

1.Introduction These sea-tribes, referred to by the Portuguesehistorian

The Ma)ays are the race of peoplewho inhabit the Malay Godinho de Eredia as Satetes played a major part in the
Peninsula(what istoday PeninsularMalaysia)and portions making of the greatMalaya [1].
of adjacent islandsof SoutheastAsia, includingthe east The present-day Malays of the Peninsu]a and coasts of

of SumatTa,the coast of Borneo, and is!ands

coast smaller the Malay Archipelagoare describedanthropologically as
thatliebetweenthese areas, deutero-Malays and are the descendants of the tribal proto

Ethnically,
the Malays are a rnixed Tace followedthe Malays mixed with Indian,Thai, Arabs and Chineseand
Muslim faith. Such varied backgrounds have produced from these phase,a mix social and cultural beingdeveloped
mixed customs and manners, whilst their strong religious and could been seen clearly in their art and crafi especially
faithhas provideda unifying force for a distinct Malay in clothing.
culture. Anthropologists trace the home of the Malay race The population of Malay peop]e in Malaysiais59,9%.
to the northwestern part of Yunnan, in China and these The rest are Chinesepeople29,9%, Indiaand others 10,2%.
tribal proto-Malays,or Jakun, were a seafaring people. The figuresabove showed the percentageof Malay
They were once probably a peop]e of coastal BoTneo who popu]ation who lived in Malaysia. The Malays, long linked
expanded into SumatTaand the Malay Peninsula as a result to the land as Bumiputra generally work in the agricultural
of theirtrading and seafaring way of life. and industrial area. The Malay is mainly a rural people,

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livingin viltas,es rather than towns. where Chin¢ s ¢ , Indians, traditional in Malay culture. These traditional
clo{hes

and other groupspredominate. clothes had been divided into Traditional typed and
Mostty the women are working as a house- wife and Neo-Traditional typed.
also involved in handicraftswork. The percentage of Task 3- Socio-culturalreview of the social

women working had increased from 42.2% to 46.t% in environment and common activities involved that change

1995 where they involved in many section of work. Malay the pattern
styte of wearing both traditional cLothes among
women aLso involyedin agricultural sector especiat]y in the females.The data had beinggathered from 105 females
rubber estates and work in the paddy fieldarea and also in through interviewsquestionnaires,
and

the industrialarea. With the development of new Task 4 - Semantics synthetics that categorized Btiju
technologies and the increasing of industrlal sector, a lotof Kehaya visual appearance by SD methods
Kurung and Bcu'tt
MaLay people started working in this area. They have expressed by females.

moyed to town area where a lotof opportunity forthem to

developtheirknowledge and living. 3. Survey of Matay Ctothes

3.1TraditionalCtothes
2.Methodo)ogy TraditionalcLothes can be explained as clothes that had

A qualitative method was adapted in this researched, a historical

or cuLtural background from certaln group of

synthetics are derived from primary and secondary data. peoples or in the society. Each costume has different
The holisticana]yses from the data gathered was divided approach and meaning depending on their environment,

intotasks: beliefs,
myth or reLigion.

Task 1- A historicalreview of Boju Kurung and Boju The inventionof taking develop it
fibersfrom plantand
Kebaya transformation involvedfrom the past until the as a yarn and weave itand become fabricshas
as a pieceof
present,i.e.,16ihCentury clothing style, types of fabrics been practicedthousand yearsago beforecentury. These
being used, fabricswere used as a protection to the body towards the
Task 2 - A formal review of the traditional clothes weather or any harmfulthings.Fabricsare not seen as mere

being identified.From the survey resource input,Btiju items of c)othing only, but as essential equipment in
Karung and Boju Kbbaya were two common types of ceremonies performed to invokedagricultural and human

vaiNpasnpal,ornc":"ndCcrfint"Niltofi Ysa4taStS'
ie' indep,e,,dient

tw

-.･L･eviiii,1ii,/llil/li.il'lii
" '
:EL I,l･ss･t
ut

ico5rAtrivaiofChinesettathere
maww F.,Lbe}os
'lrrt?l"'ds'

Figurel.The chronology of c]othing worn by Malay fernales

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fertility.
They also offer magicai to wearers
protection at MidclleEastand the Portuguesein Ma]acca ln the 16thor
times of transition and dangen 17'hcentury, and poputarized by Chinese Peranakan. A
Costume or clothes communicates ordinary information two-piece costume, the bciju kurung and keha),acomprise a
about the ethnic identity,
social status and gender,butmore tunic top (btv'u) and a sarong (kainor long skirO. The long
importantLysome people belief that it expresses the flowingtunic-coat (kebaya) or a tunic (bcijubelah)which
relationship between the wearer to supernatural and was dividedin front,put on likea coat and fastenedwith
envLronmenL brooches, which were the partof the wearer's jewelry, In
In framingthe body,clothes contributes to the symbolic pattern construction, these two clothes had a basicpattern
transtation of materiality intocultural images or signifiers. consist of rectangular shapes, square shapes, an opening
Clothes,as a pervasive vehicte for the fabrication of frontor circle forthe colLar. Each part has been given a
culturally viable subjects, is in positionto increase our name like,pesak, kikikor pesak gantttng, back and front
sensitiyity to the gap between the putatively natural body openlng.

and itsrepresented, artificiai counterparts; to the body's The two panels that attached to the both side of the
translation by means of mechanisms of rhetorical dresscalled pesak and kikikwere designed inorder to make
displacement;
and to structures of visually insertedbetween the dress more looseand easy to wear.
the observer and the representation [2].The ambiguous Normally these two costume isusuatly made of cotton, siLk,
alliance betweenbody and clothes couLd be seen as one of brocadeor voi!e. In sixteenth century unti] the eighteenth
the most inveterate incarnationsof {he fusionof the natural century under the Colonial Period,the movement of
and constructed. Traditionallyclothlng has been and will wearing culture had influencethe pattern cut of Malay
be continue to be importantto human beings clothing plays clothes. A new styte soon emerged in 1512-1930,where the
a subtte yet importantpartof peoples]ivesfrom birthto influenceof Western culture has strongly changed the
deathreflecting tastes. dreams and histories. appearance of traditionalclothes that istight and following
3.1.1Bag'u Kurung and Boju Kbbaya the shape of the body. The new appearance of tailoring
Among the Malay peoplethe Boju Kurung isone of the these traditionalclothes makes the clothes became popular
traditionatclothes that being used as dailywear. The Btiju until now.
K"rung is the female garment tailored to meet the
requirements of the Islamicdresscode, This clothing had 4. Morphology of Kitrungand Kebaya in Societa1
being identified,that it had strongly infiuencedby the Activity
Middle East costume called gatabiah.It isdescribedas the 4.1Ctothes RepresentStatusand Identity
longcollarless tunic up to ankle with an underarm panelor Boju Kurung and Boju Kebaya had been recognized as

gussetworn overa looselong skirt called sarong. Like the the most outstandlng material culture among the Malays.In
Malay clothing also has the influence of Arabic clothing some ways, these clothes are likerooms or containers that
where the clothes has being definedas a long collarless cover the female body and appear to communicate the
tunic garment. The clothes were design loosely, likethe genderof thatparticularperson,
Arabic costume because of the influenceof Islam in the There are three keys in which clothing has effect as
15thcentury which is broughtby the Arabic traders, In its material culture in Malay society. First,as `fashion'
that
originals form, the feminine boju kurung had no opening in linkbetween the shapes, lookof the clothes and a temporal
front and was pulledover the head likea ]oosejersey. In sequence of change in those forms, Much of the attention
1920, the tunic is shortened to the knees,The Iunic is paid to traditional clothes in social and historical
discussion
normally tailored from ptain cotton or silk cloth and has focusedon fhshionbecauseof itspotentiat to signify
matched with a silk and gold songket sarong. The sarong social distinctionsof age, gender and status [3]. Second,
was secured around the waist with multiple pleatsina style derive from the signifying functionof fashion,ls the
known as ikatanombak beralun, capability of clothing to communicate between members of
The most widely used traditiona]clothes for wornen the culture through forms,colors and types of fabrics.The
and man in daily used or during ceremony among the third key is thal a single garment may be significant
Malay people are the sarong sarvng is a
and boju.The becauseof the relationship between itsparticular material
broad band of cloth sewn into a tube that usually fa11sfrom form and the body form that wears it.
the waist. Normally the clothes forthe female were btiju In the olden days, Malay women were dressed only in a
Kurung or boju Kebaya, The kebaya were adopted from the sarong secured around their chest, a style known as

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bei'kembctn.The fabriccalled sarong was used {o ma.ke began to arrive from India and Europe. Variety of fabrics
kemhan. from machine woven, lightweight silk brocades,taffeta.
The kemban can be describedas a pieceof rectangular chiffon and lace were increasingly imported.Lately,the
fabricswere wrapped around from the chest partdown to changes and trends of mix materials became popular
the knees, Afterthe arrival of Islam broughtby the Arabic among the femalesin developingnew ideasin traditionaT
traders, the pattern of wearing cLothes had changed. clothes. The materials were setected according to functions.
Malay women began to adhere to the Islamictenets on As forthe coLors are usually seen to fa11intotwo main
dress.The dailyusers of clothing were the cotton sarong categories- light and dark. The in-between shades are

and the boju. referred to in terms of the naturat environment, Some of the
`skinof
Whereas for the ceremony the fabricthat was used were, traditionalcolors are kutittangsator the lansium

rans.e of fabricfrom songket

woven (cottonor silk with fruit'forbeige,pinang masak or areca nut' fbr brlght
`ripe

gold thread) or brocade.The sarr)ng isunsewn orange, darah ihan or of the fish'for dark red,
`blood
rectangular

textile,approximately two and a halfmeters long and itis pttct{kpisang or ]eafshoot' forpale green, indigo
`banana

then wrapped around the hips. Recently. the plaincolored so forth. The ordinary people are not atlowed to wear

cotton or silk plaid and songket were used. The sarongis yellow colors or golden yellow becausethis cohors being
the oLdest style attire in the region. The sarong has been used forRoyal family.
widely used in variety of ways since the slxteenth century The patterns of the traditional fabricsalso give
such as a bathing cloth, head wrapping as a protectionfrom significance of the appearance of the Malay status. A

the sun, a carrying bag CtLtroshiki),

a cradle and also as a variety of motifs and patternsare infiuence by natural

shroud [4].The woven plaid fabrics were normally being environment. The simple pattern is normalty worn by
used as dailywear since this kind of fabrici's
much cooler ordinary peopleor middle class peoplebut forthe intricate
and not heavily design likesongket. patternsand the heavy woven fabricsdecoratedwith gold
In the fourteenthuntil sixteenth century, the Malay threads isworn by the Royal families [5]. .,
traditionalclothes can be divided into two categories Previous patterns and materials seems all adopterf and

according to the hierarchy. First,the ordinary people and imitatedfrom the natures. Commonly, the flora, fauna or
second the upper-class people. The ordinary people geometricalform were popularand being selected as fabric
normally wear traditional clothes from cotton fabricsbut designs.
for the higherlevel,the fabricsfrom songket or brocade 4.2.3CurrentMaterials
were worn. The over come of synthetics fibershas changed the
of lts pattern construction the physical

5,ty,?a.f}y"`es
wa,ttt,,i/astk./W,<"u";.ge/tt
characteristic and

approach of Btu'u Kurung and Boju Kehaya clothes. The

refinement and reincarnation of cheaper fabrics and

attractive designsand colors from synthetics fabrichad

Working class
influence the visual appearance of bothc]othes. Sometimes
the selections of improper fabricsthat apply to the
Ordinary traditional clothes really affect the performanceof the
people
clothing and the uncomfbrtable feeling when wearing it.
Figure 2.Statusin Malay Culture which being practicedin Lately,the selective materials were carefu11y chosen
the 14th-16thCentury.
according to functions
purposes,A lot of materials from
cotton and synthetics for dailypurposesand
being used
42.2T}rpes of Materials
rich and expensive materials from silks, brocadeand others
Normally in the Malay customs, the lowerclass people
luxuriousmaterials were only worn during functions. In
are not allowed to wear certain fabrics
and color becauseof
these two different situations, females became more
the diflerence appearance of status. For the lower class
conscious about the situation that dealingmuch with their
people or ordinary people will from
only wear the sarong
clothes, In the case ofc]ass cultures that belngpracticed in
natural materials such as cotton, pineapplefibers, banana
the past decadesis becoming less important in the
fibers, organdie, batik and others. As forthe royal families
formationof a person'sselfiimage. The class does not
normally silks fabric, chintz and brocadehad beingused as
significantly affect the whole host of attitudes on social
clothes.
issues, ya]ues and lifestyletastes, and communal
With the passage of time, cheaper imported fabrics

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"rab1e1.Classification
of fabric types among the Matay people inlsth Century.
paerqtiwh'S,//･//･,/･'iii//,;･,1{Ee!.,rics/･,NqtnCs,/.k/,i,/li///:.,//･i
iats...･...TypesbSelglpt#g
,k,t"'l'iil-･1///'g･."',T.tt'-･iStc,ts;,/il.,.,tt'
,tij.t ',I

Upperctass Songket Designed with CoLorfuL,yelLow, Silk,B rocade SarongBcu'u

floraand fauna White Cotton Kurung
Beu'u kebaya

Middle class Songket Florafauna Indigo,green.etc Cotton, Silk SarongBoju

Tenun Plaids Brocade kurung
Boju Kebaya

Lower ctass Tenun PlaidsSimple lndigo, green, red, Cotton KembanSarongBoju

pattern ect. (exceptyellow Other: natural
or whi te) fibers Kurung
Boju kebaya

attachment and socializing [6].Even

though class culture activities (35.2%-45.2%).
Each female'shave at least the
described the structures and boundariesofcertain group of average of5 to 20 piecesof Bcu'"Kurung or Boju Kebaya.
peopte, but influenceand variations
the in clothing From the research, the used of traditionalclothes were

inventionare subtle indicators of how people changed, not only used as casual or formalwear but also being used
think and moved nround indifferent types of societies and as a school unifbrms, work wear and occupy intheir leisure
different positionin societies are actua]ly experience. time. Here, the traditionalclothes as artifacts
`creates'

4.3.Traditionat C]othesin Current Soc;alActivity behaviorthrough their capacity to imposedsocial identities.

Traditional clothes had been used widely among the Peopteattribute to their clothes the capacity to
`favorite'

Malay femalesin many types of dailyactivities. Through influencethe ways they expresses themselves and interact
the findings, five categories being
of activities were with others about their culture [7]
identified as the highly used of traditional clothes of Boju

Kurung and Btiju Klebaya. There are selected from 5. Common TYpes of Ii-aditionalClothesUsed in
in-doorand out-door activities that involved housework, Present Days.
ornce work, leisure. festival and other cultured activities. Recently,the traditional clothes had been appreciated by
From the observation made, about 84,7% of Malay females the new gencrations.Through out the research and
were wearing Boju Kurung and Boja Klebaya in different empirica] studies,itwas foundthatthese clothes were being
style of pattern and materials according to their taste and widely used as common wear. In other words this attire
trend. the Malay
givesthe impact of the cultural representation of
Demographic analysis had been made and justified that society itself,
each fematesat 21 years old until 30 yearsold
the age of From the daiainputgainfrom individual
interviews
and

were the highly user of these traditional clothes in their through questionnaires, 105 females were participatedin
dailywear fororace work (24.5%-48.5%)
and forfestival Ihis evaluation. The ranged of age were from below 20, 21

Eeb,, 2e
tsmISIle-pm'i
eelevr 2025S2exIStslots5ts,ert!"ttts-.te-..-.

41-50 21-30

'tt't/it1.1Nfii'i'/r'/L･til/l;:;･g;}x 41-50 21-30

al-4o

31-40

Figure 3: Percentageef Boj" Kurung bein used Figure 4 : Percentage of Bnjtt Kebaya bein used
daily by different age gro-psg dailyby difftrent age groupsg

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yearsold -30 years old, 3l years old until 40 yearso]d,･41 Fifth:BojttKehaya Modern. [n the early l960's until the
years old unti] 50 and above. presentof twenty first
century, theie are two Iypes that are
The result from demographic test being identifiedthat are commonly used as popular wear.

there are two types of traditional clothes being wearing as The long types
of modern Kebaya were designed
dailywear, There are two types ofclothes that stillremain without kikik.
the pesak It isconsist of dartsto make the
or
as the mostpopularattire among the Malay femaleswere
dressshapely. The collar appeared to be invariety ofshapes
Btu'" Kurung and BcijuKeba}ra. These basic clothes could and fastenwith either buttonsor brooches,
be found indiffierentcategories of appearances.
The short style of Klabayamodern had been identified to
As shown in figure3 and figure4, the daily clothing
be popularinthe 1960'sunti] 1990's.
This kebaya were also
could be identifiedused by the femaleswere Boj" Kurung
designedfo1]owingthe bodyshape and the materials from
compared with Bciju KkbaJ,a. It had been recognized that
lace, silk and transparent fabricssuch as silk organza,
mostly the females'age between 21 untit 40 tend to wear
chiffon, voile, kasa rubia became a trend among the
bothof the traditionalclothes as their daily wear.
females.Some reforrnations were made especiaLly at the
5.2 Traditional Typed and Neo- Traditional Typed
S.2.1Boju Kictrung
collar and also the sleeves. These value added gives the
First:Bcu'uKurung consist of two- piece of clothes that is strong impact and siLhouettes of traditional clothes being
tikedamong the femalesnowadays.
the upper partis the dressand the long skirt. The Boju
Kurung Lnma which are still maintained 5.3 Clothes
reformation in Malay society
the basicsty]e of
kikik 5.3.1 Cultural
preservation
pattern cut consist ofpesak, and round collar with the
hand stitch finishingcalLed juhit tutang betut or simo
Through out the research, ithas been found that both
around the collar. Bciju Kurung had been used inall districts traditionalclothes of Boj" K"rung and Boju Kebaya were
in Malaysia and had been given different names such as beingused as a part of representing cultural identity
of the

BtijuKLtrung Johor that appeared in high neck, Boj" Malay people,About 105 fema]es being interviewedand
Kurung Pahang that are designedwith longkikikand loose 85,3% of them clarified that these clothes were partof
blouse,Second: preserving cultural identityfor young and ord Malay
Boju KlirungModern that is much shorter, some generation.Yet these traditionalclothes had been identified
of itstill loosetype of clothes with pesak and kikik cal]ed as natignal dresscodes in Malaysia.
Boju KitrungKledah. Some of it was made to foIlow the It has become a trend in clothing even though Western
shape of the body and appear with differenttypes of collar, apparet were much more fashionable,
sty]ish and easy to
Other elements of stitches such as ernbroidery and beads buy everywhere.
were being value added to give more aesthetics to the In representing cultural identity,the growingconcern on
clothes. the cLothes, own adaptation and innevationto rnake these
These typed of traditionalclothes were commonly clothes fu]lyused and appreciated by all generations.
The
used during working or other formal functionsthat the consumption of culturaL goods,such as making traditional
designed seems replacing the Western suits. clothes fashionableclothing, performs an increasingly
as
5.2.2 Baju Kebaya importantrole in the construction of personalidentityand

Third: Bciju Kebaya labuh, is also maintained the

which also emphasizes the diversity of lifestyles
intopeople in
typical type of patterncut. Itappears to be in looseshape, contemporary societies [8],
consist ofpesak, kikikand the frontopening collar which is In figure 5, the graph shows the average of females'
then fastenwith three brooches. consideration of both traditional
clothes as a partof cultural
Fourth: BcijuKkbaya Pendek whlch are influencedby the representationmaterial.

Chinese traders in 1405 who arrived in MaLacca, These

typed of clothes were well known among the Chinese 6. Postmodern appeal ef Malay clothes: Neo-
Peranakan (Chinese peoplewho are married with the local Traditional
Malay people).Most of the c]othes were short up to the Currentappearance of Boju Klirung and Boju Kebaya
buttocklevet,without pesak or kikikthat is more fitted coupled with the traditionalappeal is hamming home and
fOllowing the shape of the female body and werefu11y work wear images.As the result of cross-fertilization and
embroidered around the collar and attached with brooches. authentic work wear among the Malay peop]e expand a

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broad image to the culture. Bcu'tt

Kurttngand Bcu'tt
Keha.va clothes were a trend among the Matay femalesand also
had been growingdrasticallyand became a popular fashion non-Malays.
among the Malay femalesand other races too. Ithad been
identified
as
"TraditionaL"
ctothes but with the touch of 7.Females view Wearing TraditionalClothes
on

taste, On hand, women's

"New"
the other of Ma]ay The theme of OrientedDesign' had been
`Human

concluded that these clothes as a functionof reproductive strongly influencedthe appearance of clothes. The c]othes
strategy indemonstrating
culture identity. or garment are not on]y the product to protect human body,
The appearance of machine-made clothing, ctothes were butas a
`specialization'
needs for a comfort productto wear
generallyincluded among a person's most valuable [10].
possesstons. The tradttionat c]othes in Matay societies In 1960'sand t980 most of the traditionat ctothes were
began to resembLe from shapeless garment were repLaced appeared to be more fitand fbt]owing the body. In those
by tai]ored, fittedgarment whose form were generally years, the females were aggressively adopt the Western
influenced by fashionsoriginating by the upper classes ]ook in clothing which they found more outstanding and
from the Western[9]. sexy. Itisbelievedto be influenceby the reincarnation of
In postmodern featuresof the traditionaL
appeal, the Western Corset trend among the fashiondesigners and
clothes rapidLy changed with the evolution of fashiontrend youngsters.In the 20th Century until the presentyears, the
and the emergence of new materials, The Bciju Kurung and choicesof wearing attitude had changed among the Malay
Boju Kebaya had been givenvalue added to certain females.The clothes designed
partof to the roots" were
"back

thepatternsuch as coliar, sleeve and the long skirt in order become popu]arsince this give betterimage of feminine
to make the wearer appear to be more stylish and fo11owing among the Malay females.The creativity of mixed and
the trend. matched the materials and value added the clothes. makes it
Expressingwarmth qf human beings with crcij?- work appear be simpLe butelegance
to that can be seen as casual
foshion-
recently, the materials added by handwQrk with or forma]dress [11]. More choices of materials from soft to
accessories exhibiting decorative effects such as embroidery, crispy typed had changed the pattern cut of the traditional
beads, spangles and lace were used for these traditional clothes and the wearing styles. Females tend to develop
clothes, Styles in the 1980's and 1990's were strongly their own in findingthe clothes styles that give
concept
influenced by the Western patternthat appeared to be more better comforts during the day and appearances. Based on
femininenessimage as they have flowlng drapes and the subject ratings, the individual in
preferences the aspect
elegance. Materials from silky luster and silky polyester of
"comfort"
and state being concerned
"pleasure"

since
fabrics
were popularamong the young fetha]es ages 21-48 they found that these traditionat pattern- cut were
years old who favorthe casual image of traditional
clothes comfortable to be used as dailywear in Malaysia climate.
but with elegance appearance. Recently,Boju Kurung and From the overall interviewtheir requirement is that the
Bciju Kebaya were popular arnong the working class clothes should be comfortable in their dailywork, easy to
femalesas ithad been considered and fitthe purposeand move and easy to take care. It had been agree that the
functionafter work, These clothes were suitable to use after femaleswere highlydesiredthe clothes that had lesstime
work especially fdr working females who still feel taken when dealswith taking care of the materials, Overall
comfortable for leisureactivities. It seem that these two results gainedfrom the interviews,67.8% are concern about

Tab]e 2.Classification
of clothing period used by females
'1cav t･
Hrntjst1 ±ridR"il. [tailyFkTrrel FdstiulCMhrdLcisurefererrrrtid
t.
1 ofcahas SAO1staTicRetiod
1su,ICVIADC)17th-1su1An ,A:
'eept
km
dee/es,･e
oee-fuoeoo
o o l p.mA
S.b..t."t..eoooooo
ftskptA sk wwpmagmazzfe'-pm･-en5% ./."X.B)ts
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Percentage

o%20% 40% 60%ee%100%

1234567

comfertabtesmsrmcrve p
Belew 20
!
/lts(x

Feelingot easycere

Wearing su1colh K
x
21-30 gen ±le ta
j
//
sott
v
i
'
neet a...

+ight
Age 31-4e
Ceot e"
tt.t.ttte
Considerationof I
Dny &'i'
Climate
Sweating
9.I(\]<ssM
4i.50 lndoor

Natural

Leisure

Commen Situation
lnterasting
50 & above Involved
WendngFanTva1Norme+

.tN-)
ew
r"
Kurungew Kebaya tttttlttttttttttttttttttt/
-+ BijuKebaya
BajuKurung

Figure 5: Average percentageof traditional ctothes as part Figure 6.Attributes of clothing appearance for both clothes
of cu]tural preservationobseryed by ferrvales in SD scale

clothes that could give them comfort. They want to feel females to be matched fortheir physicaland physiological
comfortable in theirdailywork, easy to move and easy to needs, The use of preferences as a criterion of clothes

performance had been based on by `attitude

take care. Ithad been agree that the femaleswere highly molded

desiredthe clothes that had lesstime taken when dealswith fashion'or based on physiological factors.It issugges{ed

taking care of the materiats. here that preferencescould be regarded as choices based
Ithad been agreed that the femaleswere highlydesired upen practice or an individual rationale of the needs in
the clothes that had resstime taken when dealswith taking clothing performance.The domain involvement of climate

care of the materials. Means that,in Malaysia condition the and working situation makes the Malay femalesput much

femalesprefers fabrics that ischeap, easy to take care after effort and consideration pattern
on materials cut of their
and

many times ofcleaning and durable.Recently, femaleswere clothes that could give comfort and good appearance [121,
buying mix materials such as mixed polyester as itappears The `comfortable'
state in relation to the individual's
to be matched for theirphysicaland physlological needs. preferences is based on their surrounding environment [13].
Most of fabricsfrom cotton and silks also became popular It is sometimes dithcultto trace a proper requirement for
among the females.Their choices were based on their these traditionalclothes, as itisvery subjective evaluation

individuals'
preferences of purposesand funetions. It is when dealing with females' physiologicalneeds. Each
found based on their personalphysicaland physiological subjects had different
viesy when dealingwith clothes, as it
desire in clothing a part of their second skin that is appear to be second skin to human. Nearly all these
communicate with the environment. research had been specifically questionsthe traditional

It seems that recently the development of traditional clothes preferences dallytyped and formal
in typed used for

clothes had influenced the wearing attitude among the their social activities based on their experience wearing

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thesetraditional clothes. distribute the identity of Malay culture to other ethnic

However, the results from these evaluations showed a groups too. The main findingsin this research can be
clear preference for the traditionalclothing. Based on the summarized as follows:
`pleasurable
state' and
`desired
state' the assurnption isboth 1. The fernales used a lot of Bay-uKiirung as their

clothes form and climate would stimulate the measurement dailywear according to the pattern style which is
for the individualneeds, Itisstressed out to identify clear]y much loose.
more

on She proper considerations that were involved in 2, Boju Kbbaya explains that itappears to be popular
traditional clothing. used as formal wear.

In Figure 6, it shows the attributes found the overall 3. rtaditional

clothes were worn as a part of

individual appreciations in Malay traditional clothes. This preserving the culture and social values,
may explained the desireneeds of females in traditional 4. The types of traditional clothes were strongly

clothes, Ithad been stress here that the states of soft, easy demand on comfortable and pleasurestate.
care, easy move and
`light'

(weight)
of fabricsor garment Throughout this research it may explained that each
were needed in this evaluation. Ranking values could be femaleswere strongly desire a wearable productthat ¢ ould
seen clearly in both traditional clothes. The highervalues give them pleasureand comfort with physicaland visual
were appearing much on Boju Kitrung compared with Boju expressions. The most probableinterpretation
of the finding

Kbbaya. The overa}1 results gainedfrom 105 femaleswere that softer fabricsand appropriate patterncut for the
resulted thatBoju KLtrungwere highly worn among all ages. traditionalclothes was preferred.
Next category Feelingof Wearing- the highly desired
of In traditionalclothes, there are two types of situation
weTe the lightweight typed of clothes. It means that the could be categorized as dailytyped andformal typed. For
materials llsed inboth traditionalclothes should be lightin these differentsituation, the appearance forthese traditional
weight and not gaudy or heavy typed, In Climate clothing were changed in terms of fabricsused pattern
categories- the preferences were tota)ly differentin both applications. Simple and loose styles of traditionalclothes
c)othes that explains their entire needs were depends on being used as dailyand more elegant and couture typed of
their daily surrounding All subjects
environment.
were patternwere cbosen forformal,
found lessconsider about climate. In Situation category- it The understanding gained from these effbrts should
isdescribedas pleasurable state by individuals where these ultimately facilitatethe developmentof betterrequirement
two c]othes were used indifferent typed of activities. Ithad forthe clothes and itsvisual representations,

been identifiedthat Boju Klebaya had been used in many

situations for formal typed of activities,Overall p]easure Reference:
states were expressed in differentsituations selected by 1. Chin,Lucas.SZirawakCulturatLegacy:A Living
females.Boju Kltrunghad found to be used in almost every IYadition,SocietyAtelier Sarawak,1991:113-117.
situation selected by subjects. 2. Barthes,R. Ihe FbshioningSystem, Berkeleyand bos
Ange!es:University of California
Press,1990:10-15.
8.Conclllsion 3. Barthes, R. Ihe FZishioning System,
Berkeleyand tos
Changes of clothing and the discoursessurrounding Angeles:University of California
Press,1990:25.
clothing indicateshifts in social relationships between 4. Dormer,Peter, 71teCultureofCrdi,ManchesterUni.
differentsocial groups that represent themselves in different Press,UK, 1997:34,
ways in pub]ic space [14].
In Malay culture, clothing was 5. PerbadananKemajuan KraftanganMalaysia,A
used as a form of social approach in representing culture forthe IVbw Miltineum,
Malaysian 7buch- ll]xtile
identity
and social values. Perbadanan Kemajuan Kraftangan Malaysia, 1999:
The indications of cultural practicesthat includeboth 81-85.
knowledge of cultuTe and the sense of physiologicaldesire ofClothingAttractiveness
6, Lennon, S,J.Efilects on

state that represent in both traditional clothes elucidate the Perceptions. Home Economics ResearchJournal,1990:
significant of cutture sensibility among the Malay females, 18,303-310.
Thus the strong infiuenceof work place environment that 7, Kaiser, S.B., Nagasawa, R.H.,& Hutton, S.S.fushion,
reformed the traditional clothes as a uniform oT dresscode Symbotic
Postmodernistand Personat .,ippearance:
interaction
lsformulation,Symbolic lnteraction,
1995:

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14(2), 165-185,
8.A. Dickson.SociallyResponsibleBehavior.Journalof
FbshionMbrketingand Mbnagement, 1996:NQ)], 1,
No.1, .50-59.
9.Damhorst,Mary Lynn, the Meaning ofDress,
Fairchild
Publication,USA, 1998: 10-12.
10.Cava]laro,
Dani and WaTwick,Alexander. fushioning
･ theFrame: Boundaries Dress and the Bocly,Biddles
Ltd. UK, 1998: 23-25,
11.Dant,Tim,MbterialCutturein the SbciatJibrtd:
lhluesActivities
and Lijlestyles.
Open Uni. Press,UK,
1999:32.
12,Haye,Amy d.l.DefiningDress,ManchesterUniv.
Press,1999:6.
13.Adam, PaulS.A Model forProtective ClothingEffects
on PerfOrmance, internationalJburnalofCtothing
Scienceand fechnotogy; 1994:Nbl 2,No.2,6,
14.E.Braddock,Sarah and O'Mahony Marie. 1lechno
- Revolutionary thbrics forFbshion and
llrxtites
Design,Thames and Hudson, UK, 1999:7-13.

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