Bringing back Kebaya Perlis

A model parading in contemporary Kebaya Perlis. — Filepic

THE PERLIS government will bring back the popular Kebaya Perlis worn by court ladies and Malay royalty in the old days.

Perlis tourism committee chairman Asmaiza Ahmad said the Kebaya Perlis was part of the Malay heritage that must be preserved.

“It’s not only comfortable to wear but it also symbolises the identity and modesty of Malay women.

“The attire does not show the shape of the body and is suitable to be worn at work and official functions, ” she told Bernama.

Asmaiza said the Perlis Community Development Department (Kemas) would organise sewing workshops to teach people how to make the outfit.

“For a start, we will focus on sewing workshops before encouraging people to wear them, ” she said.

Asmaiza said the state government had also asked Kemas to provide a one-stop centre in Kangar to display Kebaya Perlis to tourists where they could buy them.

She said the state government also planned to encourage civil servants to don the Kebaya Perlis every Friday in the near future.

Meanwhile, Kebaya Perlis entrepreneur Azniyah Abu Bakar, 56, said what distinguished the attire from other types of kebaya was its length and loose design, which are suitable for people on the plus size.

“The special feature of the Kebaya Perlis is that it is sewn from a whole piece of cloth without any stitches at the shoulders.

“It also has a gusset (pesak) on the front that is suitable to be worn with batik folding long skirt or ‘kain pario’ for the comfort of the wearer, ” she said.

Azniyah said that in the past, the Kebaya Perlis was made using kasa rubia fabric but since the fabric was not

easily available nowadays, it was made using chiffon and songket fabric.

She has received many orders from dignitaries including ministers and heads of departments in Perlis since its introduction in 2006. — Bernama