mustaffa batik

So began a serious obsession. Batikers are closing down or working fewer days. It's not just the economy. Unlike Java in Indonesia where hand-drawn batik sarong designs are catalogued (and some patterns and colors are traditionally reserved for royalty), formal or court occasions in Malaysia call for songket, cloth woven with gold thread. Songket is an acknowledged cultural heritage today.

Batik sarongs were considered "everyday" wear. Sarongs worn with a blouse were replaced by a Muslim-style of dress about thirty years ago, or Western clothes. Now sarongs are worn only at home in the kampongs (villages) and kids prefer jeans. Ironic, isn't it? Jeans were considered hopelessly uncouth laborers' attire until after WW2. Will batik tread a similar path to acceptance—and will it happen before the knowledge is lost?

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