(Front, from right) Sabariah, Mohd Said and Sharzede pose on the runway with the models at the ‘Sarawak Ethos’ showcase.
KUALA LUMPUR: Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), in collaboration with Old Kuching Smart Heritage (OKSHE), presented ‘Sarawak Ethos’ during the finals of the 16th Piala Seri Endon (PSE) in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre last Sunday.
The showcase highlighted a range of Sarawak-inspired batik collection, aimed at boosting the visibility of the ‘Sarawak brand’.
The ‘Sarawak Ethos’ collection was introduced by a local design house Batique Sdn Bhd, in collaboration with the Fashion School of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
The theme was inspired by the rich cultural heritage of Sarawak, depicted in the usage of motifs from the ‘Melayu Sarawak’ (Sarawak Malays) and other indigenous communities of Sarawak.
This 16th edition of the PSE was graced by Her Majesty Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
This annual batik design competition was organised by Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia.
It was founded in 2003 by Tun Endon Mahmood – the late wife of then-prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi – as part of the ‘Malaysia Batik – Crafted for the World Movement’.
Batique director and shareholder Shaharom Nor Azlina Merican said they felt privileged to be given the opportunity by Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia to showcase their newly-designed batik collection at the prestigious event.
“We have chosen to present batik in the light of Sarawak as we believe that there is much more to discover from Sarawak that could inspire ideas of motifs and designs in batik-making.
“Aptly, STB and OKSHE have come forward to sponsor our collection as well as the ‘Sarawak Ethos’ showcase, reflecting their full commitment to ensure that the visibility of the ‘Sarawak brand’ is also ‘stamped’ in the batik and fashion arena,” she said.
Azlina said the first collection was a range of elegant Batique’s shawls and evening wraps, inspired by the ‘Bunga Tabor’ and ‘Mawar’ motifs depicting Sarawak Malay heritage from the ‘Songket’ and ‘Keringkam’.
“The ‘Tudung Keringkam’, which is a luxurious veil, heavily embroidered with gold threads, has been the crowning glory of the Melayu Sarawak traditional wear for centuries and has been passed down as priceless family heirlooms.
“As a fitting tribute, the OKSHE has specially flown in the intricately-designed ‘Keringkam’ from Sarawak to be featured together with our batik collection,” she added.
The showcase also featured the ‘Lembayung Collection’ – a set of four beautifully-designed evening wear that reflected various natural shades of blue to depict the sky, water and the atmosphere – symbolising Sarawak’s vast primeval, rich ecological and environmental natural assets.
The highlight of ‘Sarawak Ethos’ was Batique’s contemporary collection – a collection of casual and formal wear, illustrating motifs of ‘buah bangkit’, ‘pating betulak’ and ‘buah anyam’ captured from the renowned Pua Kumbu theme.
The sponsorship by STB and OKSHE was in line with Sarawak’s aggressive promotional campaign ‘Sarawak – More to Discover’, set to share what Sarawak had to offer in the areas of culture, adventure, nature, food and festival (CANFF) tourism.
The 16th PSE received 46 entries and 12 finalists vying for prizes in the ‘Fashion’, ‘Soft Furnishing’ and ‘Handicraft’ categories.
The annual competition aims to highlight new-batik making talents, besides injecting creativity and excitement in the batik industry.
It also provides a platform for new fashion, fabric and product designers to test their abilities against some of the best talents in the batik industry.
Also present at the event were Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) Datuk Mohammaddin Ketapi, Motac secretary-general Datuk Isham Ishak, Deputy State Secretary (Performance Transformation and Service Delivery) Datu Dr Sabariah Putit, Asean-Malaysia National Secretariat director-general Datuk Ahmad Rozian Abd Ghani, Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, Yayasan Budi Penyayang chief executive officer Datuk Leela Mohd Ali, STB chief executive officer Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor and Batique managing director Mohd Said Bani CM Din.