Malaysian singer Atilia Haron chooses batik for her first fashion line

This will be Atilia Haron's first-ever fashion collection. Photo composite: Batik Boutique

Atilia Haron, who is not only known as a singer, but an actress and yoga teacher as well, has launched her own batik fashion line. This is in collaboration with Malaysian social enterprise Batik Boutique.

Atilia’s late pet – a regal fighting fish (Betta splendens) – dances across the entire collection signifying a "beautiful warrior". She hopes the print will inspire others to be their best self.

Read more: Malaysian designer collaborates with British Council to promote batik globally

“I chose this design and these strong colours for the collection because they hold such power; not just for the people that will use these products but also for the artisans that were involved in designing them," she commented, in the press release.

A highlight of the Atilia x BB collection is a stunning batik kimono. It also offers a beautiful batik yoga mat, made of non-toxic, natural rubber with a suede finish.

Other items include a face mask, headband and pouch. Each product is hand-painted by local batik artisans and sewn by women from marginalised communities in Malaysia.

The collection also includes a DIY batik painting kit, which allows a person to learn and create their own Betta fish batik print at home.

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At the unveiling on Instagram last week, Atilia said that she is more than excited to have achieved this. It is a result of hard work spanning many months and happens to be her first-ever fashion line.

"I've been dreaming about this. Since I had the opportunity to work with Batik Boutique on their last campaign, I managed to get them to say yes on this."

She explained that it is not just a collaboration between her and Batik Boutique, but her fans too. She had been actively seeking input from her followers on social media about the designs.

Read more: Meet the Malaysian fashion veteran who is on a new 'journey' to promote batik

"I love rearing fishes. I take care of them really well. I talk to them and they have names," she pointed out. According to her, the inspiration for her line is one of her Betta fish, which sadly, has since died.

Atilia, whose full name is Raja Putri Atilia Raja Haron, is the daughter of veteran singer Salamiah Hassan. She released her first album, Sangkar, in 2007, which earned three nominations at the Anugerah Industri Muzik.