KOTA BHARU, Sept 5 — With only three weeks given to complete three choices of outfits, but batik artist Rosliza Muhammad, 59, managed to produce the design that was ultimately chosen to be worn by Her Majesty, Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia at the 69th National Day celebration on August 31.
Rosliza’s interest in drawing since childhood was the starting point of her journey in batik art, to the point where she now has more than three decades of experience in the field, and was thus entrusted with producing outfits for the Queen for the second consecutive year.
The owner of Lizza Creations said the trust made her feel proud, but at the same time the short period given also put pressure on her because she had to ensure that this year’s designs looked different from her work last year.
“I feel honoured to have been chosen to create a dress for the Queen, but at the same time I also feel the challenge to complete it in a short period of time.
“In addition, I need to think of something different so that the design produced this year is not the same as last year,” she told Bernama recently.
Rosliza said she received the order about three weeks before National Day through her acquaintance, fashion designer Datuk Radzuan Radziwill who represented the Queen.
According to her, she took several days to find the inspiration before starting the sketch, with the filigree motif inspired by Malay designs chosen as the main element to highlight traditional identity.
She said that the elements of hibiscus and the Jalur Gemilang were also incorporated into the design to maintain the theme of the National Day celebration.
“The process of creating the design began with a pencil sketch on white cloth which took about five days, before the pattern was carefully drawn on silk cloth by canting.
“The canting process is the most complicated part because any mistake in the lines or patterns can affect the entire result and needs to be redone,” she said.
Rosliza said the dyeing process is done in stages, with the fabric having to be dried for about a day before being re-coated with wax to allow the colour for the next layer to be applied.
She, who holds a Textile Design Degree from Universiti Teknologi Mara, said a mixture of Remazol dyes including blue r and violet were used to produce a brighter and more striking blue tone like the colour of the Jalur Gemilang.
She said that the production of the three dressing options was also assisted by three of her employees, namely Wan Nur Amira Wan Adnan, 35, Luqman Hakim Mohd Salim, 32, and Nik Saiful Azri Nik Mohamad, 44.
Rosliza said that apart from the Queen, her handiwork also received orders from several royalties including the Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim and the Sultanah of Terengganu Sultanah Nur Zahirah as well as other dignitaries.
She hoped that batik art would continue to find a place among the younger generation and develop through creativity and new designs without losing the Malay identity.
