Rumah Kim Choo's Peranakan Progression
An article on the modernisation of traditional Peranakan kebayas made at Rumah Kim Choo, a Peranakan boutique in East Coast Road.
"For the culture to move on, we cannot always be holding onto tradition."
Raymond Wong, designer of Nyonya kebayas at Rumah Kim Choo.
As the designer of Peranakan kebayas at Rumah Kim Choo, Raymond Wong is always thinking of ways to adapt the kebaya to fit the current modern landscape today. Fast fashion has been dominating the markets at a rapid pace and in order to stay relevant, he has been going the extra mile – or meter, to make changes to the designs of his kebayas. Raymond shares with The Sewing Room how the modifcations he made in his designs have been dependent on new inspirations for different styles, ever-changing consumer needs and his underlying drive for positive changes to be made in Peranakan culture.
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But first, what is Peranakan? The term ‘Peranakan’ is known as ‘local descendants’ or ‘Straits-born’ and is largely used to address the descendants of Chinese traders who married the local women in the Malay Archipelago. In the late nineteenth century, Chinese merchants travelled and established businesses at the busy ports of Straits of Southeast Asia due to the buzzling commercial activities taking place. Hence, the inter-racial marriage that birthed generations of mixed Chinese and Malay/Indonesian; Chinese Peranakans. The diversity of ethnicities ties down to one common language that they speak; baba Malay, described as an adulteration of the Malay language with a mix of Hokkien words. Peranakan males were called Babas while Peranakan females were called Nyonyas, a combination of the Chinese dialect word ‘Nyo’ meaning young lady and the Javanese word ‘Nya’ meaning madame.
The Straits Settlements comprised of Malacca, Pineng and Singapore. These were the three main locations where different groups of Peranakans resided, including Java Peranakan, Hindu Peranakan and even British Peranakan. From there, Peranakan influence grew and spread all over Southeast Asia and further. One greatest element of the Peranakan influence is its fashion, coursed and bred by the traditional craftsmanship art of beadwork and embroidery, two distinctive features in Peranakan fashion.
Floral embroidery designs being sewn onto a Nyona kebaya at Rumah Kim Choo.
The traditional Peranakan costume is called a Nyonya kebaya and is heavily reliant on the embroidery of various designs. The kebaya makes use of techniques such as kerawang (lacework), sulam penuh (thread painting embroidery) or sulam biku (embroided scallop trimmings). Young girls would wear lace kebayas, without the sulam, called a ‘kebaya biku’. These kebayas were styled more simply, with no floral details. The kebayas were not only for the Nyonyas though; the Malay women and the Eurasian Portugese women also donned the kebaya in the 1960s.
Raymond shares his views on the history of the kebaya and its wide usage by many different communities in the past, saying that “it’s interesting that kebayas may have influences from Islam originally, but it has evolved into a fashion whereby ‘Oh, everybody can wear it.’”
Today’s generation find it hard to relate to these pieces and are opting for the cheap, accessible fast fashion alternatives instead. But Raymond explains that changes have been made to the kebayas in order to fit some customers’ new requests. One such way that his designs have been altered was to make use of crystals. He uses Swarovski crystals, which sparkle brighter, and hand-sew it tightly onto the kebayas, depicting “the way the local Peranakans like it because the crystals would not fall off easily.”
A kebaya designed using crystal beads at Rumah Kim Choo.
Picking up on light crystal work, his designs show a contrast to his counterparts in Indonesia who design the embroidery to be heavy and 3-Dimensional-looking using crystal beads and sequins.
Approaching the different needs of consumers today, Raymond has styled new designs of sarong skirts to be worn with the kebayas. Traditionally, a kebaya is worn with a batik sarong skirt, which could be quite restrictive for the ladies to walk comfortably in.
Raymond has created his new eye-catching mermaid skirts, modern flare skirts and skirts with high slits. With his new designs, women can walk and kneel down easily.
“We feel that women today, they value the ease of movement. That’s why over the past 3 to 4 years, I’ve been trying to experiment various styles of sarong skirts that can be matched with Nyonya kebayas. I think it’s going to be another beautiful market for the customers,” he remarked.
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A model walking the runway wearing Raymond's modern flare sarong skirt at a Peranakan fashion show in Kuching.
Learn more about the history and the significance of the sarong skirt with Raymond Wong.
Customers have also commented on the discomfort of wearing long-sleeved kebayas in Singapore’s hot weather and that led him to create a much more open alternative, his popular halter top kebayas.
A model wearing one of Raymond's halter top kebayas at a Peranakan fashion show in Kuching.
Although the impressive innovations have sparked interest to more customers of Rumah Kim Choo, Raymond recalls the early days of incorporating modern twists when he was met with some elderly Peranakans’ disapproval stating that “the kebaya was being adulterated.”
Raymond stood his ground and believed in the efforts that were made to increase the beauty of the traditional piece.
“(The kebaya) has evolved over history to have that unique look,” he dutifully adds.
Nyonya kebayas have come a long way and Raymond Wong has undoubtedly played a part in stitching its progress. From designing for fashion shows, to actresses in Hollywood films and even the former President’s wife, his products leave an embellishing mark in the Peranakan world, signifying the culture that is here to stay.
View photos to get a glimpse of the inside of Rumah Kim Choo here.