Fashionista NOW: Batik Goes Chic With Malaysian Batik Kimono Style Tops

If you think batik is boring and only old people wear it, this batik kimono-inspired top selection will have your minds changed.

Batik is one of Malaysia’s pride. It is a textile art that flourishes especially in east Malaysia. Inspired by the shapes of flowers, leaves, butterflies and geometrical elements, batik print is created from a brush painting technique. It is a long practiced fabric art form but amongst the young still, batik is not a print they want to be spotted wearing, equating the look as old-fashioned.

Lately, there is an prevailing enthusiastic mood spread across the fashion sphere in Malaysia as reflected by the more adventurous designs that celebrate the old and new together and I’m always interested in the various fun new ways our local designers are stretching their horizon, fashioning what is a traditional wear into something hip as in the case of the baju Melayu hipster and injecting ethnic flair into modern staples that the young can see themselves wearing even on the daily.

One of the new indie fashion clothing brands that is gently nudging batik into the contemporary forefront is Parca Apparels. Embracing traditional wear with a touch of modern twist, their batik print kimono inspired tops are a feast to my eyes as the vibrant floral motif set against bold background colors of green, purple, red, brown and blue is rendered alive on a kimono-inspired top silhouette.

I love the styling that they had chosen for their models on Fashion Valet, mixing batik nonchalantly with casual wear as it’s something that I like to do myself as I’d once donned a boxy baju kurung kedah top with jeans and loved how modern it looked. With the mish-mash of modern pieces styled together with the more cultural batik motif, I feel that the stage is set for batik to take on the global fashion scene, especially within the bohemian fashion niche.

That said, the Malaysian batik is off to a very promising journey as it will be on display for the very first time ever at the London Fashion Week thanks to a collaborative project between famous British fashion icon, Dame Zandra Rhodes and Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (Kraftangan Malaysia) this September.

If the combination of batik and kimono gets you excited as it is for me, then you might just love their collection of eye-catching tops below.

To see other modern batik pieces Parca Apparels has in their store, check out their collection here.

“Style is the only thing you can’t buy. It’s not in a shopping bag, a label, or a price tag. It’s something reflected from our soul to the outside world. An emotion.” — Alber Elbaz

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Here on Fashionista NOW, our one and very own Miss Reverie showcases the latest in fashion trends and its various social implications in our everyday lives. You may read more of her at REVERIE SANCTUARY.