Throughout the years, the colourful textile known as batik has gone through several evolutions and many local businesses are now using batik to create modern clothing such as crop tops, skirts and shirts for everyday wear.
This Chinese New Year, where a majority of the clothes are weirdly beige and pastel, you can stand out by wearing pieces from these local businesses that create such wonderful batik clothing.
INISAYA
IniSaya is the brainchild of a Malaysian designer, Jeffery Goh. He incorporates batik into everyday wear, such as crop tops, skirts and dresses, in a very tasteful way that can make your outfit pop.
Their CNY 2024 Collection, Blossom Bliss, was just launched on 20 January. It features a collection of cheongsams, cheongsam blouses, skirts, pants and even shirts for men.
If you would like to see it, try and buy it, you can catch them at the Sunny Side Up Market on 27 and 28 January. Their site is currently under maintenance, but it will be up as soon as possible.
You can check out their Instagram here.
KANOE
Kanoe is known for its whimsical designs using unique batik and trendy silhouettes. Their CNY collection is aptly named Play and Slay, which you can definitely do in their dresses and tops.
Like Ini Saya, Kanoe also has a men’s line that offers shirts and kimono wraps that are bold and yet tastefully done.
Kanoe has a physical store at Rex KL if you ever need to try the clothes on. If not, you can always order your CNY fit from the comforts of your home on their website.
GERSON
Clothing from Gerson Batik might be the most expensive on this list, but they make up for it with their classy and elegant designs and regal batik prints.
Gerson’s CNY collection for this year comes in the form of sets, dresses with mandarin collars and frog buttons and tops for him and her. The best thing about them is that you can either dress them up or down to suit any occasion that you might have in the future, and they’re not just limited to Chinese New Year.
You can see what they offer on their Instagram page, but for the best experience, it is advisable to go to their store in SS18.
Niah+co
A budding brand name in the batik clothing scene, Niah+co has a limited selection when it comes to the things offered. However, they do offer pieces that we have not seen anywhere, such as batik bibs and floormats.
Even though their CNY collection may be limited to a few designs of cheongsam tops and shift cheongsam dresses, they make up for it with the multiple colourway selections of fabric that you can choose from.
Their owner is currently on medical leave, but you can still place your orders, or you can go to their pop-up at Pop Up Market, Bangsar, on 3-4 February to see the clothes. You can follow them on Instagram for updates or check out their website.
CHEALC
Bandana tops, wrap tops, cardigans and skirts are the clothes that are offered by CHEALC by CM. This brand, based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, has been selling its clothes for the past 6 years.
Even though the designs are pretty much the same, they offer a wide variety of fabrics ranging from pastel batik and even to songket. All this while remaining affordable!
Their CNY collection is a little different from their usual stuff, as they are offering a skirt and a halter bandana top. As it will be shipped from Kota Kinabalu, it is best to order soon so that you will get it in time! You can do so via their Instagram page.
Patten
Here, we have Patten, which is probably the most affordable option out of this whole list. It is good to note that they do not market their apparel as ‘batik’ but more as ‘patterned’.
The unique point with Patten is that you can choose the design that you want and choose the fabric that you want to go with. So, with the combination that you choose, you might have one-of-a-kind clothing that only you might own.
Patten’s CNY collection features multiple red fabrics, and you can choose what you want to do with them, maybe a tube top or a midi skirt. It’s all up to you and at a fixed price point. You can check out their store here.
Lull&Ruhm
Last but not least and a new contender in this category of batik apparel, Lull&Ruhm is a passion project between 2 best friends, Annatasha and Farah.
Their apparels use beautiful batik fabric and modern designs that will accentuate a woman’s feminity and show off an individual’s uniqueness. There are no 2 pieces that are the same.
As they are still considered very green, they are only operating through pop-ups as of now, so if you’d like to know more, you should follow them on their Instagram account for updates.
We hope that we have somehow helped you in your quest to find a piece of clothing for CNY (and also everlasting staples in your wardrobe) that can show off your personality.
Also read: Naomi Campbell Wears M’sian Designer Rizman Ruzaini’s Custom Dress for Film Festival in Jeddah
