Kaamatan Festival Boosts Seamstress' Business
KOTA KINABALU, May 30 (Bernama) – The Kaamatan Festival, Sabah's biggest ethnic celebration held throughout May, has become a profitable season for local seamstress Norhayati Ajirul, 52, whose tailoring shop is bustling with customers this time of year.
Though her shop is modest in size, its reputation rests on the quality of her craftsmanship. The neat stitching, precise tailoring, and intricate bead embroidery of traditional attire from various Sabahan tribes continue to draw customers eager for both ready-made garments and custom orders.
A Bajau woman from Kudat, Norhayati, said the demand for traditional clothing spikes significantly during the Kaamatan season. She currently works alongside five employees to fulfil the flood of orders.
"Orders for traditional clothes come in all year round, but when the Kaamatan season arrives, they multiply. Alhamdulillah, even our ready-made clothes sell out.
'We have regular customers and even local wholesalers who rely on us,' she shared.
To meet the high demand, Norhayati adjusts her business hours during the festival month.
"Normally, we open from morning until evening, but during Kaamatan, we start as early as 7 am and close at 9 pm to complete the orders. A week or two before the Kaamatan climax, it's non-stop... no time for breaks," she told Bernama.
Norhayati revealed that her team can complete as many as five traditional outfits a day, with each garment taking between two and five hours, depending on the design's complexity.
The price for each outfit is set based on size and design, with children's traditional clothing sold at RM100 to RM150 apiece, while adult outfits range from RM500 to over RM2,000.
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