KUALA KRAI, Aug 22 —Starting as a hobby of sewing children’s clothes by combining the four colours of the Jalur Gemilang, namely red, white, yellow and blue, Aimi Aidora Ramli, 47, has now developed her efforts over the past two years into a source of income.

Her creativity in producing patriotic-themed clothes and traditional clothing of various races has received encouraging response, especially from parents who want their children to appear in unique clothes at competitions and programmes in conjunction with the National Day celebration.

Aimi Aidora said that while previously she only produced a few pairs of patriotic-themed clothes, this year she successfully completed 12 sets of traditional women’s clothes and three sets of men’s clothes from various races including Malays, Chinese and Indians.

“Initially, I only sewed children’s clothes using the Jalur Gemilang colours as a hobby. However, when I received positive feedback from customers, I started adding to my collection of traditional clothes from various races to give students more choices.

“A deep interest in the world of sewing and the desire to instill a sense of patriotism among children were the main drivers behind me producing clothes with an independence theme,” she told Bernama recently.

According to her, the clothing collection not only met customer demand, but also became a medium to highlight the cultural diversity and symbol of unity of the Malaysian community, especially during the National Day and Malaysia Day (HKHM) celebrations.

“I started thinking about expanding this business further because in Kuala Krai it is quite difficult for people to get rental clothes with retro and patriotic themes.

“Apart from maintaining the existing rental clothes, I also sew clothes according to customer orders at prices of around RM45 to RM65 including accessories, depending on the pattern and type of design chosen,” she said.

Aimi Aidora who also takes orders for flower arrangements for the handout tray, said that so far she has received orders from students who want to wear the clothing in conjunction with the National Day celebration at school.

She said demand is expected to continue to increase until mid-September. — Bernama