Tucked away in a snug nook in Jalan Inai, KL, one family-owned trade has been weaving tales and holding heritage for many years, evolving with life but staying true to its roots.
The proceed of Jadi Batek is a story of heritage handed ailing thru generations, entwined with a contemporary entrepreneurial spirit.
All of it started within the Seventies when Yong Jo, the daddy of the tide proprietor, Colin Yong, launched into a humble proceed as a salesman at Jadi Batek. In 1976, Colin’s father took over the trade from his boss. Minute did he know that this could mark the start of a legacy.
Then years spent within the company international, navigating the intricate nation-states of trade in Japan and Thailand, Colin discovered himself at a crossroads when his folks presented him the chance to to enter Jadi Batek.
“I saw the potential of the batik and tourism business in KL and thought it may be a waste to close it down or sell it to others. Thus, I decided to take the offer from my parents to buy over the business.”
“It was not a free handover from my parents but with a loan to pay back,” he stated.
That was once as a result of Colin’s father sought after him to understand the trade as his personal startup undertaking, fostering a way of possession and satisfaction.
Adapting to marketplace shifts
It wasn’t only a trade transaction; it was once a soar of religion and a prospect to praise custom day embracing innovation.
“When I joined Jadi Batek in 1999, it was a souvenir shop catering mainly to tour buses,” Colin reminisced.
Then again, with converting marketplace dynamics and evolving shopper personal tastes, he recognised the will for adaptation.
“Young tourists said they don’t want to join tours as they prefer to travel by themselves. The tourists were also not as keen on buying souvenirs that much. They wanted experiences, something different.”
“So, I thought, why not give them what they want?” he endured.
Thus started a pristine bankruptcy for Jadi Batek—one outlined by means of batik excursions, categories, and a renewed focal point on experiential tourism.
As a budding entrepreneur himself, he confronted his fair proportion of demanding situations throughout the transition duration.
Relocating from Jalan Sultan Ismail to Jalan Inai in 2003 introduced its personal prepared of hurdles, with a lack of walk-in consumers necessitating leading edge advertising and marketing methods.
From conventional commercials in maps and magazines to harnessing the facility of social media, Colin ensured that Jadi Batek remained now not simply related however thriving within the virtual while.
Conserving custom & embracing trade
Consistent with Colin, Jadi Batek is all about constituent and ensuring their consumers are satisfied. They put a accumulation of offer into crafting their batik attire and the paintings decorating the partitions of the playground. The purpose is for purchasers truly really feel the Malaysian vibe in each piece they trade in.
Batik pieces on sale right here come with lengths of batik dress-making subject matter, ready-to-wear attire similar to attire, blouses, cheongsams, scarves, kaftans, males’s shirts, kids’s clothes, tablecloths, coasters, wall hangings, and alternative batik artistic endeavors.
Colin’s visual isn’t near to creating wealth; he desires to unfold the contract about Malaysian batik in all places.
“In multi-racial countries like Malaysia, batik serves as a unifying force,” Colin asserted.
So at Jadi Batek, they’ve made positive they preserve a numerous crew, like a modest public the place other cultures come in combination and proclaim what makes Malaysia distinctive.
From hand-drawn masterpieces to block-printed marvels, each and every settingup by means of the crew is a labour of affection, holding a heritage that transcends life.
Wan Jafnan Wan Ariffin, the important artist at Jadi Batek, exemplifies this determination. With just about 20 years of revel in, Wan Jafnan leads his crew with interest and talent, making sure that each batik piece tells a tale of its personal.
Within the while of speedy type and machine-printed replicas, Jadi Batek remains true to the actual do business in. They’re all about authenticity and status company amidst the inundation of replicas.
But, the shortage of professional staff and pageant from heavily produced choices loom at the horizon, requiring consistent innovation and training.
Nonetheless, Colin’s visual for Jadi Batek left-overs confident.
With plans to amplify around the Klang Valley and determine batik centres past Kuala Lumpur, his proceed continues to spread, guided by means of a loyalty to custom, craftsmanship, and the long-lasting spirit of Malaysian batik.
In each sew, in each brushstroke, lies a tale ready to learn—a tale of custom, reinvented for the trendy international.
You’ll be able to be told extra about their trade right here.
Learn alternative articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups right here.
Featured Symbol Credit score: Jadi Batek
