More to textiles than meets the eye

I REFER to Khairul Anwar Rahmat’s letter “Clothes used to tell a story” (The Star, Nov 26). The importance of costume and textiles in traditional societies and as part of our cultural heritage is undeniable and Khairul is to be commended for reiterating this. There are, however, several additional points which should be made.

If Khairul is referring to traditional Malay textiles, then cloth “sewn with gold and silver thread” would refer to either tekat or kelingkang, both of which are forms of embroidery. While kelingkang cloths were occasionally used as shawls, tekat cloths were more often used as hangings and decorative panels rather than as costume.