It is not often Lunar New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri dates come within a month of each other. This year, we saw it as an opportunity to express these cultural celebrations as collections for Spring.
Spring is a time of re-emerging from a winter of deep rest and reset. Coming off the excitement of a bright Lunar Spring, Raya Spring is conceptualised as a nostalgic ode to the sartorial style and sensibilities of Southeast Asian womenswear.
Rama: A new batik story
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In classic batik design, butterflies are synonymous with rebirth, signalling purity and new chapters. Nature teaches us that everything blooms in its own time.
Many years before my first visit to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, I picked up this postcard in an archive box nestled in the storage of an independent visual arts centre. Initially, I was drawn to the woman pictured for her poise; then her outfit. For a long time, the image stayed up on our office wall, a story beckoning to be written.
Raya Spring came to me slowly. It culminated in its first sketches in 2025, after the discovery of an old photograph of my maternal great-grandmother. Her poise matched that of the found postcard. The essence was unmistakable and I saw in my mind the first traces of what would become a collection.
1940s Photograph: Found in my grandmother's wardrobe. This is the only photo to remember her mother by. I admire the posture and restraint felt from the photograph. 〰️
I dedicate this collection to my great grandmother and the women before her. May the Southeast Asian spirit of feminine elegance live on.
