Kebaya in Italy

An ecstatic Hideaki Lim brings our traditional dress abroad, writes Kasmiah Mustapha

AS the kebaya-clad models struck pose after pose, a crowd began gathering. With their mobile phones, tablets and cameras, they snapped pictures of the models.

This happened every time local fashion designer Hideaki Lim and his team took pictures of his designs at famous tourist attractions in Italy.

Perhaps the crowd was intrigued by the kebaya. Then again, it could have been a case of mistaken identity as they were heard shouting “Gangnam” every time  they saw Lim.

Indeed, dressed in white with a bright-coloured jacket, hat and glasses, Lim looked very much like a K-Pop star.

Well-known for his futuristic and cyber-inspired designs, Lim had taken his cyber kebaya collection to Milan, Florence, Rome, Venice and Pisa for his Fashionably Italy tour organised by Bestour & Travel (M) Sdn Bhd. The collection was specially designed for the 7D/5N tour.

Braving the cold autumn weather, models Rennee Chong and Victor Yong looked resplendent in cyber kebaya. The costumes clearly stood out against the background of familiar monuments such as the Colosseum, St Peter’s Basilica, the leaning tower of Pisa, the Trevi Fountain and even on a gondola ride in Venice.

DIFFERENT APPROACH
Lim’s designs offer a slightly different approach from the kebaya that we are familiar with. The bat-winged sleeves give the outfits a new silhouette. He also chose bright green, purple, red, blue and pink to give the kebaya a cheerful  look.

Instead of wearing  kebaya tops with batik sarong, he matched them with a long flowy skirt from the same material. With minimal accessories, the look was simple yet attractive.

Lim says when he was approached by Bestour for the project, he immediately jumped at the idea. His first thought was that he wanted to feature the kebaya.

It was also his first fashion shoot in Italy and he wanted to leave a lasting impression.

“It was my way of introducing our fashion industry to the world. I think there will be a huge impact when you have local fashion  mixed with foreign culture. To me, it is a cross- between Malaysian traditional costume and Italian history.”

MATERIALS MATTER
Lim says the name cyber kebaya has little to do with the design and more with the materials used.

“There is nothing alien-looking about the designs. I named it cyber because of the fabrics used, a mixture of cotton and lytex. To me, anything that has gone through the process of technology can be considered cyber,” he says.

“The material is easy to cut and I save a lot of fabric when stitching the clothes together. In addition, with this stretchable fabric, it’s one-size fits all it can even fit larger women. It is soft yet heavy and will fit anyone.

Lim designed 18 pairs which can be mixed and matched. In Rome, he photographed six different outfits in three locations and in Pisa, there were five. He used two designs each in Milan, Venice and Florence.

“Words can’t describe how I feel about having a fashion shoot in Italy. I have been in the industry for 22 years and it has not been easy. People are not always receptive towards my designs. I wanted to start a trend and follow my own ideas and creations. I never paid attention to critics and I worked hard. It has paid off.”

Lim, who plans to auction the cyber kebaya collection, is now busy with several projects, including his 22nd anniversary celebration, with a fashion show and as a host for Internet TV. He is also preparing for a fashion show in Christmas Island, Australia at the end of the year with the theme Malaysian Nite.