Malaysia's dye-namic batik to be a main draw at dinner

The Star

26-05-2025

Threads of unity: Masrina and her daughter Mayamin planning batik designs. — Low Lay Phon/The Star
SUBANG: The Asean gala dinner tonight will see leaders dressed in something distinctly Malaysian: custom-made batik shirts, tailored for each head of government and state, sewn by local hands.
But these are not the typical floral motifs long associated with batik, rather one where the design draws from deeper cultural roots.
It blends the mid-weave of tikar mengkuang with tribal-style elements inspired by Borneo's indigenous heritage.
'It's still recognisably batik but the design moves beyond flowers,' said Masrina Abdullah, 60, the individual behind the project.
'It's about texture, repetition, geometry; things you find in everyday Malaysian life, but don't always see in clothing.'
The shirts, produced in seven colour palettes, blend tones of soft pink, light blue, yellow, purple, maroon and earth-toned shades.
As with all traditional batik, each piece features a combination of colours layered and blended through wax-resist dyeing, giving each shirt its own subtle variation.
The design work began as early as last year, with Masrina and her team at MAEV Studio producing an initial six options for Wisma Putra.
According to her, some leaders sent their measurements while others provided physical shirts as references.
Each shirt was tailored from crepe satin silk – a luxurious fabric with a soft, matte crepe texture on one side and a smooth satin finish on the other.
Lightweight and fluid, it's well-suited for formal wear in tropical climates.
'It is soft, but also formal. Perfect for evening wear in this heat,' Masrina said.
Helping her behind the scenes is her daughter Mayamin Azlan, 30, who handles the digital side of the process.
With over 30 years of experience, Masrina still draws her motifs by hand, but Mayamin's role is to ensure those designs are translated accurately on screen and formatted efficiently for production.
Masrina revealed that six other batik designers have also been commissioned to produce attire for other Asean-related meetings.
'Since the summit is a year-long event, all of us designers, gathered by Yayasan Budi Penyayang were tasked to prepare batik attires for leaders attending various Asean-related meetings taking place throughout the year,' she said.
Yayasan Budi Penyayang, the organiser of the Piala Seri Endon competition, was the brainchild of the late Tun Endon Mahmood, wife of Malaysia's fifth prime minister, the late Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Masrina herself was the first winner of the Piala Seri Endon in 2003, the year the competition was launched.
'The designs are ever evolving, but the essence of batik, rooted in Malaysian culture, remains.
'Sharing our tradition and heritage in the form of batik is a reminder that our identity can be worn, felt and appreciated across cultures,' she said.