Over the weekend, a Malaysian-Dutch based designer was under fire after sharing her ‘’insight’’ of wanting to “see Malays dressing beautifully again”. The Nala Design founder Lisette Scheers said, “My dream is to see the baju kurung return, to see Malays dressing beautifully again. Growing up this country was full of beautiful fabrics and colours’’, she said in an interview with South China Morning Post.
https://twitter.com/__sarahmad/status/1350307658352402433
Her statement, of course, sparked accusations of cultural appropriation by netizens. The public were irked by the designer’s comments, saying there’s nothing wrong with how Malays dress, and that their baju kurung heritage is well and thriving.
“My dream is to see the baju kurung return, to see Malays dressing beautifully again. I want people here to be proud of their heritage.” pic.twitter.com/BO4E8LXjkZ
— SHARINA (@sharinashahrin) January 16, 2021
The baju kurung has never left?? It’s always here and the malays has always dressed beautifully??? The price point is crazy so it’s defo not accessible to everyone if her goal is to not make the heritage disappear. pic.twitter.com/toJoumSlj2
— Att Yusof (@attyusof) January 16, 2021
https://twitter.com/nalisaaa/status/1350257153739689984
But that’s not all—it looks like our Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah has also taking her part in expressing ‘’the pride of wearing baju kurung’’. Posting on Instagram, the Queen pointed out she wears the traditional dress everyday. While Her Majesty did not directly reference Scheers, the post included the controversial quote.
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Since the South China Morning Post story caught attention yesterday, there have been rallying calls for everyone to start wearing a baju kurung – and posting their OOTD (outfit of the day) online. Scheers has since apologised for what she said, but it was received with more angry comments.
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