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INTRO OF BAJU KEBAYA
We tailor baju kebaya for any customer who needs a beautiful kebaya for any occasion or everyday wear.
There is a lot of speculation on the origin of kebaya. Some started in the middle east, while others claim that it came from China. Kaba means “clothing” in Arabic and it was introduced in Portuguese language. Kebaya refers to the garment with origins that look like a blouse. It was the Indonesians that first wore the kebaya in the 15th and 16th centuries. The garment is long, fitted, and flared called the kebaya Panjang6 that was worn in the 16th century. It was those Portuguese women that arrived on the south and west cost of Malaysia, across the Malacca Straits.
A lot of sources say that Chinese influenced the clothing during that time, and one source compares the kebaya to tunic from the Ming Dynasty. Those tunics were long sleeves and open on the front. Introducing this type of dress got accredited to two significant events during the time when Islam and Europeans arrived.
The kebaya’s origin is in a garment that was brought by the Moslem traders who came from India. Before their influence, women only wore flat fabrics that were wrapped around their body. The influence of Moslem required that their torsos and arms must be covered. The Moslems brought the cut and sewed garments. The baju Panjang is long sleeves, and knee-length that was still worn in early 2000s in southern Sumatra, which was the kebaya’s forerunner until late 19th century.
The Moslems remained in Java’s coastal regions and nearby islands in the 15th century. However, there was a Javanese sultan who was aggressive in spreading Islam. Even if there is no existing evidence, there is a possibility that they wore baju Panjang during that time as well.
After they were colonized by the Dutch, the kebaya became the formal dress of European women. The kebaya was primarily made of mori fabric, and the modifications that were made used silk. They also started to put embroidery on the kebaya to add designs and colors. The kebaya’s most dominant form is worn in the Java islands and Bali today can be traced back to the Java and Sunda that they wore in the 19th century.
A lot of the recognizable features of the kebaya today features tight-fitting blouses to enhance a woman’s torso. Then, there is a fold-back collarless neck with a front opening; semi-transparent fabric; and long sleeves. These are features of the kebaya in the 19th century. The traditional kebaya requires that a woman’s torso is wrapped with a stagen, which is a long cloth. Women with a higher social status have someone help them in using the stagen on their torso. Women who do not belong to the same social class do it on their own by tying one end of the stagen to a post and wrap themselves.
The kebaya blouse that is semi-transparent was worn over the stagen. They used a brooch instead of buttons to fasten the blouse and buttonholes. They combined the kebaya with kain, which is an unstitched cloth that is worn on the lower part of the body, which is called a sarong in English. It was worn with pleats placed at the front.
Now that you know what the baju kebaya is, you have a better understanding of the clothes we make. We design tasteful Malay cloths that fit your taste and make you look sophisticated. We can also repair your kebaya. You can also come to us for custom-made kebaya that will make you stand out.
Contact us today for more information on how we can make your clothes.
