KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — In recent years, batik has slowly faded from our daily wear as there are more modern choices easily available. But Noorul-Hudaa Abdul- Rahman (or Hudaa) hopes to revive that love for batik through her own label, Batika by Hudaa.
It all started when Hudaa spotted a black-and-white photo of her Indonesian mother Siti Maemunah Kamal Warso in the 1970s where she is elegantly attired in a kain kipas, or the Javanese way of wearing their kain batik. “At that time they didn’t sew it, it was wrapped like a sari. They used it in the istana (palace) and the amount of pleats have a meaning with regards to your rank as well, “ explained Hudaa.
She had not seen that particular pleated skirt worn anywhere else except for the uniforms of airline attendants. Determined to try to bring it back, she asked her tailor to sew the pleats in the skirt, using a flattering A-line cut.
It took her several attempts before Hudaa was satisfied with the look. Unlike the original kain kipas which was folded in pleats and not cut at all to preserve the batik, her version is a modern take. It’s cut to fit the body with no excess fabric to spoil the line of the pencil long skirt.
Soon she was proudly wearing the kain kipas when she attended weddings. This caught the eye of her friends as they had never seen the kain kipas before. They encouraged her to start selling the kain kipas since it was new to the market. At that time, Hudaa who was a primary school teacher for four years had just taken a sabbatical after giving birth to her daughter.
With just 30 pieces of the kain kipas that was in one size, she launched it on Instagram to test the waters. It was a sold-out success. “It was very well received as at that time it was unique. Moreover people were not aware of the variety of batik that was out there,” explained Hudaa.
Inspired by the demand, she decided to convert her hobby into a business in 2012 to bring back traditional wear. “I was trying to bring back a tradition that I felt was gone and make it kind of trendy again among people my age.” The name Batika is an amalgamation of batik and “anika” that means variety in Malay since Hudaa believes there are many possibilities for batik.
What Hudaa found most surprising was her kain kipas also appealed to the older generation who were in their 50s as it reminded them of their younger days. As she adds, “usually they would choose colours that were less vibrant but they wanted to try on this skirt.”
Most of her customers would wear the kain kipas for special occasions but the more fashion forward ones even wear it to work or whenever they went out. Rather than the traditional kebaya top, they would pair it with a simple top or even a T-shirt... making it a trendy outfit for all.
After four years in the business, Hudaa believes that the kain kipas has become a trend. “I see a lot of other brands who are also doing it as well and there is a demand for it.” She plans to continue making the kain kipas as it’s her signature look.
What you will find is each design available on Batika by Hudaa is limited. “I do not want each design to be mass made hence each design is limited,” she explains.
This also means there’s a rare chance you will experience a fashion faux pas of wearing that same design as someone else at the same party when you buy a piece from Batika by Hudaa.
For this year’s Raya celebrations, Batika by Hudaa collaborated with actress Lisa Surihani, a close friend of Hudaa’s, to unveil their first modern collection, Surihani for Batika. “We both wanted something new and as I was always into traditional wear, I wanted to try something a little bit modern to see the response.”
As most people see Lisa as Malaysia’s sweetheart, they chose to use the Pantone colours of the year — rose quartz and serenity — for a more feminine and sweet look. Both of them designed six pieces to suit her personality using their own print, a hibiscus motif to highlight the Malaysian element that was hand stamped to create the batik.
Her latest collection features one that uses cotton songket or embroidered cotton that comes in single shades that makes pairing them with tops easier. Batika by Hudaa also offers a custom design service where you can request for anything to be made using your choice of batik whether it is a modern piece, household item or even just a touch of batik on an existing blouse or dress.
If there’s an exclusive one-off piece of batik you’re looking for, Hudaa will also help you source it. The label also offers a specially curated selection of handmade Nyonya kebaya tops using the old fashioned teknik goyang that will pair beautifully with your kain kipas.
Going far beyond just curating batik, Hudaa also hopes to re-educate others about batik and revive the batik industry hence their tagline is “batik semarak kembali” or batik is making a comeback. Hudaa also hopes to initiate a revival of the batik industry especially for the hand stamped version.
As it is more laborious and people are price sensitive when choosing batik, this method has been slowly phased out. In the future, she hopes to open her own factory to produce this type of batik.
For Hudaa, batik is much more than a piece of cloth. “Each stroke and design has a meaning so when you wear the batik, you can feel it. That is what I love about batik... the meaning and the soul.”
Shop for Batika by Hudaa via their website http://www.batikabyhudaa.com or by following their Instagram https://www.instagram.com/batikabyhudaa/
