Cats can walk tall in their purr-fect baju Raya

Ready for Raya: Mohammad Affan and Raja Nur Alya posing with the ‘models’ who often test out their designs for traditional outfits. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: This year’s Hari Raya will be a fashion catwalk for some lucky felines.

For Mohammad Affan Aizat Anuar, 32, it is important that his cats look cute for the festive occasion, especially for the obligatory family photography session in traditional Malay clothing on Raya morning.

This inspired him to create special Raya outfits for his cats.

“Five years ago, I started sewing clothes for my cat, Si Koko, to match the family’s theme for the photo on Raya morning, ” he said.

Since then, the mechanical engineering graduate has been making traditional outfits for cats, which are now sold online.

“To ensure that the designs and material are comfortable for cats, we try them on our cats first. We don’t want them to get stressed in these outfits. Usually, they would be dressed for just a short time while accessories are worn for up to three hours a day, ” he said.

The founder of Meowkushop can count on his cats, Brownies, Koko Jr, Mox and Zizi, as models for his creations.

Meowkushop has 10 colourful Raya design outfits, ranging from must-haves like baju Melayu and baju kurung to kurung kedah.

It also sells accessories like songkok, samping pelikat, traditional headgear and ribbons for between RM5 and RM65 a piece.

Co-founder Raja Nur Alya Raja Abd Aziz said they used high-quality fabric and the songkok were made of velvet and cotton.

The outfits, sewn by five seamstresses, require meticulous stitching. While the ready-made ones come in sizes of S to XL, special requests can be made. The shop will be making 2,500 outfits this year. — Bernama