Totally Malaysian

The winds of change are blowing through Jendela Batik but, its CEO Faisol Abdullah assures THERESA MANAVALAN, the focus continues to be on products designed and made locally

YOU could say they’ve opened new windows.

Jendela Batik, the iconic batik store that put this Malaysian art on a world stage through fashionable, contemporary and artistic clothing, is diversifying into the accoutrements of fine living.

At its newly refurbished store in Kuala Lumpur’s Starhill Gallery, an amazing range of finely made goods and bespoke services are being unveiled from this week.

Jendela Batik is now Jendela KL, says CEO Faisol Abdullah. To start, the rebranded entity will offer five distinct lines of luxury living — from bespoke clothes and shoes (by Datuk Jimmy Choo no less) to furniture and fine home accessories that may, or may not, feature batik.

The raw materials, except for some textiles sourced from Italy and India, are Malaysian in origin. What will make Jendela KL’s merchandise particularly enchanting is that they will capture all of Malaysia’s design.

“I see Malaysia as the perfect platform to launch a brand that is based on design,” says Faisol, 51.

“Our design heritage is genuinely diverse and so unique. I think we are in a position to exploit design.

The possibilities are infinite, our sources are infinite.” What Faisol wants is to place Malaysian art and design in an international setting. Say, a porcelain fruit bowl featuring a heliconia pattern in bold, tropical orange and green that seems to belong as much in a swanky New York apartment as it would right here.

Or, the dinner service from Jendela KL’s new Asli range that might fit perfectly in a Paris salon. On it, in subtle, understated beige on white, is a pattern from traditional Malay jewellery.

Faisol figures that there’s no single lifestyle brand that stands out in Asia, a space he thinks Jendela KL can occupy. “I think now is the right time. For some years now, we’ve been an emerging brand with a good name. It’s time to grow and capture a market.” That market is made of people here and abroad with discerning taste and who insist on exceptional quality. The move is not unlike the progression of great international fashion houses like Armani and Versace who have also grown from fashion to lifestyle.

The revamped store was designed by award-winning architect Yap Teak Sing for a brand new luxury retail experience. Soon, two more stores will open in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu. Eventually, says Faisol, Jendela KL hopes to have stores abroad.

Of interest to patriots is that Faisol: Our design heritage is genuinely diverse Jendela KL celebrates our finest artisans and world class manufacturers. “The works of individual artists and designers have been the mainstay of Jendela Batik. Now, we have engaged the manufacturing skills of Malaysians who are already exporting very high quality furniture and ceramics.” Personally, Faisol is fond of things that seem unrestrained. “I like the idea of free form, of not having to follow the rules, that sort of thing.” That spirit will be reserved for only for the aesthetic character of merchandise at Jendela KL, and perhaps Faisol’s relaxed personal style – he’s usually wearing white linen shirts and loafers, his silver hair combed back loosely. Everything else will be governed by rules for quality and international standards.

Jendela Batik was established in 2001 by the late Datin Seri Endon Mahmood. It was one of several measures she took to give batik – both the art and the industry — a much-needed push into the limelight locally and internationally. It began with fine quality, hand-crafted batik fabrics and a ready-to-wear collection.

It ventured into handbags and a small range of home linens like bedsheets and towels and a popular range of prayer mats.

Some products like watches were born of alliances with other companies.

Faisol began as the store manager of Jendela Batik at its former location in Damansara.

What few people know was the mandate Endon gave to Faisol: To build a brand, a Malaysian brand that can hold its own internationally.

“She was my cikgu and mentor, she understood craftsmanship, the meaning of taking an art form and turning it into something utilitarian, and she knew how to teach that to others,” says Faisol.

“She could appreciate art in any form and she could see it in everything around her. I believe in that. Why me? I think she saw passion in me.” On his first day at work in 2001, Endon showed Faisol her collection of kebaya. There seemed to be hundreds of them — old, delicate and clearly antique. “But what struck me most was the way she could appreciate the garment, its structure and design, and the embellishments. One had pineapples in the embroidery, another had flowers and so on. She had something to say about every one of them.” In 2004, as Endon had planned, Faisol bought over Jendela Batik and became its primary owner. He introduced two new partners – his niece Nadene Kimie and batik expert Samsudin Abu Bakar.

“When I started at Jendela, I knew that I had found my calling,” says Faisol. “Until then, I guess I was still exploring.” His first leap out of old Petaling Jaya — where he grew up and schooled at La Salle PJ — was to flying with MAS. As a multi-tasking flight attendant, he was quickly educated in the service industry.

Some years later, he relocated to Dubai, joined a hotel group and represented the company’s interests in Malaysia. “Working abroad was a fantastic experience.

But two years later, I wanted to be home. So I went to work as rooms manager at a resort in Cherating.” He joined the start-up team to open a 30-room boutique hotel, also in Cherating, and slowly realised how it easy it was to become a beach bum. “It was so idyllic, so beautiful and I was getting sucked into that life.” So he sold his interest and moved to Langkawi where he worked on the successful arts programme of a five-star resort.

These days, Faisol returns to Langkawi occasionally for the upkeep of his house – “bought on a whim so many years ago when prices were cheap” – and spends most of his time at the Starhill store. He shares his Kuala Lumpur home with an aggressive goose named Awang.

From fashion to lifestyle JENDELA Batik is now Jendela KL, with five lifestyle portfolios that promise to grow into a name of luxury living.

Jendela Batik remains, with its highend range of batik fashion and its staples of pyjamas, dressing gowns, scarves, ties and other accessories.

“This will always be the cornerstone of Jendela. Taking batik from ancient art to commercial viability in the form of exquisite fashion that can be worn any where in the world is the spirit of Jendela Batik,” says CEO Faisol Abdullah.

Jendela Bespoke Shoes is probably going to create an absolute frenzy.

Here, customers can engage master shoemaker Datuk Jimmy Choo to engineer shoes for their feet. Integral to the experience will be the personal consultation and the super fit but it’s the design and colour palette that are likely to blow us away. Here, shoes can feature any design, any motif or any material including one-of-kind batik in any form. Literally limited to the imagination.

Jendela Bespoke Menswear is for gentlemen. Traditionally, men came to Jendela Batik in search of beautiful batik shirts. Now they’ll get old world Shanghainese tailors to craft that perfect suit right here in Kuala Lumpur.

“This will be true bespoke. Each suit will take four to six months to make. This is really for people who are particular about their shirts and suits.” Of interest will be luxury suiting from Loro Piana.

Jendela Bespoke Pearls is the exotic tip of the jewellery iceberg.

Customers will have the best of South Sea pearls from Malaysian waters.

From the selections of Edward Kong, a Malaysian pearl trader, find on the velvet-lined displays, pearls of every size and shape and be blown away by their lustre. Then dream about how you want to wear them.

Jendela Living is where the brand will enter your space. This label brings furniture, furnishing fabrics, ceramics and a continually expanding range of accessories for interiors that define an individual’s taste.

And, more importantly, it makes a statement that Made-In-Malaysia can be of enduring quality and classic appeal.

Here, discerning designers have searched for the country’s most endearing and some highly elusive motifs and worked them into engaging colour palettes to create things for the home.