A young lass by the name of Fern Chua has been playing her part in invigorating Malaysian batik through FERN, a design house that celebrates and rediscovers the aesthetic elegance of this fabric art form. “I feel that many of my peers and the younger generation perceive batik as prints seen on traditional sarong, not as hand-painted art pieces.” After a life-changing accident introduced her to batik, Chua aspired to inject a “cool factor” in wearing batik and started FERN, where a fresh spin is given on traditional motifs in line with current fashion trends. Immersing herself in the world of batik, Chua travelled to the east coast to witness the process with her very own eyes, experimenting with different cuttings and reading to understand the textile art’s colourful history.
This paragraph is part of a larger story about the passionate individuals bringing the traditional art of batik to the 21st century. Click here for the full story.
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ART DIRECTION PENNY CHEW
