KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 — Pak Daud, 70, is one of the very few artisans left keeping the tradition of silversmithing alive in Kelantan.
His exquisite works include silverware for royalty and even a keris which was presented to former US President Barack Obama!
Craftsmen of his calibre are fast dying out but with the Kelantan silver jewellery shoe project supported by Yayasan Hasanah, a foundation of Khazanah Nasional, his work will soon receive world recognition.
Silver embellishments, made by Pak Daud and four other silversmiths, will be adorning handmade Italian shoes.
The project was first mooted back in 2016 by Yayasan Hasanah, following a study by Kraftangan Malaysia and Tradisi Busana PR Sdn Bhd that showed the number of silversmith artisans are now less than 40.
It's a drastic decline from around 200 silversmiths back in 1995. The study highlighted that this was due to a lack of demand for silverware since most people aren't aware of the fine craft.
Pak Daud, whose full name is Mohd Daud bin Yusoff, said another difficulty artisans faced was the fluctuating price of silver. He lamented that at one time, it went up to RM5,000 per kilogramme! Sometimes it can drop down to, say, RM1,000 per kilogramme.
This causes uncertainty for their pricing. In terms of crafting the silverware, it needs a pair of hands versus machines. For instance, Muhammaad Khairi bin Suhaimi, 20, explained that the craftsmen need to ketuk (knock) by hand, as the silver is too soft to do otherwise.
Yayasan Hasnah, senior vice President, arts heritage & culture, Zainariah Johari, explained that initially they were approached by Dodi Mohammad from Tradisi Busana PR to do preservation work.
As Dodi was a protege for 20 years of celebrity shoe designer Jimmy Choo, they decided to combine the silverware industry revival with shoes.
She added, “Our silver craftsmen are always producing household items or decorative items like brooches. We feel the industry needs a lot of boost and with a big name behind it, this will take it a couple of steps beyond.”
The eight-month project identified five silversmiths scattered around Kelantan that included Pak Daud from Pengkalan Chepa. The rest are KB Permai, Zaini Arif, Suhaimi Mat Jusoh and Razak Ismail.
All of these artisans specialise in various items that range from jewellery and trophies to royal ceremonial items. Usually, these items are commissioned by various parties.
Pak Daud explained that for his designs, he'll see what raw materials are easily available around him. Hence, he uses bull horns, since it's found in his village.
As part of expanding the pool of silversmiths, these artisans selected six proteges from their own village. Some of the artisans also have the new generation helping out like Suhaimi Mat Jusoh's two sons and Pak Daud's son and daughter.
To further facilitate the project, a fashion consultant was also brought in to advise. The project also included teaching the artisans how to be sustainable, which was done via an academician from a higher learning institute.
“You cannot just create something beautiful but it sits on the shelf. You need to be sustainable. But that remains a challenge, as an artisan is an artisan,” said Zainariah.
With the crafting of Italian shoes, they worked closely with the Italian Trade Commissioner Dr Samuele Porsia. It's via the know-how shared by the Italian shoe makers that the Kelantanese artisans learnt how to create special hooks for the silver pieces to attach onto the shoes.
The collection features a total of seven shoe designs: Five for women and two for men. The designs of the silver adornments are all inspired by the Kelantan environment and feature wayang kulit characters, wau and flowers.
Tradisi Busana PR has also secured a retail space at Amato Couture Gallery in Dubai to market these shoes.
Yayasan Hasanah is hopeful that this project will be the stepping stone to bigger things to come for the whole industry. As Zainariah explained, “The shoe is not the hero. The hero is the craftsman. We want to save the craft and the product is the silver. The shoe is just a tool. It could be bags.”
Seeing the exquisite silver craftwork, two companies have also signed a memorandum of understanding with the artisans to promote their craft.
The first is Nusantara Collection, a local company with an established customer base in the US for their website designs. Another is LORD's Tailor who is well known for their handmade suits. They have plans to introduce silver lapel pins, buttons and cufflinks, which highlight the Malaysian tradition and the Kelantan silver craftsman.
With the awareness created, there's hope for the artisans to make more ties with other companies to promote their work. Yayasan Hasanah has also invited other charity foundations to consider funding further initiatives.
With new blood entering the industry like Suhaimi Mat Jusoh's young sons and the recent group of proteges, there is also hope that the craft may be promoted via social media channels, bringing a newer market.
“If we don't do anything, it will be forgotten,” explained Zainariah.
@ An exhibition for the silverware was held at Carcosa Seri Negara on November 23 and 24 to promote the Kelantan silversmiths. For further details on how to help the Kelantan silverware industry, contact Yayasan Hasanah. 
