Wear patriotism on your sleeves

Malaysians can wear their patriotic hearts on their sleeves with the House of Mouawad’s exclusive Merdeka cufflinks, writes INTAN MAIZURA AHMAD KAMAL

HIS eyes are sparkling just as brightly as the diamonds on the beautiful commemorative cufflinks in front of him. Antoine Bakhache, general manager of Mouawad’s Asia operations, can’t help but be incredibly proud of the House Of Mouawad’s special gift to Malaysia in commemoration of her 51st birthday.

“Mouawad has been coming to Malaysia from 1991 and we’ve been supplying the market with great products. We’ve enjoyed great support all these years. Now that we’re based here with our boutique for the last three months, we thought it’d be nice to give something back to Malaysians,” says Bakache.

The internationally-acclaimed fine jeweller has created a bold new declaration of independence in the form of bejewelled Merdeka-themed cufflinks. And guess who was behind the whole idea?

“Moi!” declares Bakhache, looking pleased as a punch. “It was totally my idea and my design. Many people suggested that we should produce the draped flag design but I felt that a straight one would look nicer for cufflinks. Too much movement… not so nice.”

These exquisite cufflinks, made of 18K white gold and set with precious stones, were made at the company’s watch factory in Switzerland.

“It was the only place where we could do such fine engravings and fine quality,” explains the genial Bakhache.

An art piece in itself, the face of each cufflink is fashioned after the Jalur Gemilang. The stripes, representing the States and the Federal Territories, are made from 220 diamonds (1.20 carats) and 220 rubies (1.30 carats) while 156 sapphires (0.90 carats) honour the star and crescent. “There’s a lot of fine work because the diamonds are so small,” adds Bakhache.

Each cufflink is engraved with the words, Merdeka Special Edition by Mouawad along with its respective serial number from 001 up to 100, as well as the weight of the stones. What’s also nice is that each set comes in a special leather box.

“Knowing that people like numbers, we’re giving them the opportunity to choose their own numbers. It creates excitement,” says Bakhache with a grin. “No. 001 will be presented to the King. After all he is the number 1. Then we have Tan Sri Francis Yeoh of YTL for example, who loves the number 7 so maybe we’ll reserve him the 007 and 077.”

To ensure exclusivity, there are only 100 pieces. Priced at RM16,800 a set, Bakhache believes that it’s a real steal.

“When you compare this with other cufflinks that we have, it should be pegged around RM25,000 but we have opted for a special price. What’s more, a portion of the money will go to the Warrior’s Fund.”

To give this tribute to the Jalur Gemilang and our National Day more meaning, Mouawad will be honouring army veterans by donating RM800 from the sale of each set to the Warrior’s Day Campaign Fund (Tabung Kempen Hari Pahlawan).

Explains Bakhache: “When we were considering connecting this endeavour to charity, many people suggested the cancer cause. Of course we’d like to help all the charities, but when it came to the flag, we thought the Army would be appropriate.”

Casting a glance at Admiral Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor (Rtd), chairman of the Warrior’s Day Campaign Fund who’s also present during our chat, Bakhache adds: “We think the Warrior’s Campaign Fund is something quite noble. For us, it’s a small but significant gesture and tribute for these great men that did so much for this country.”

Looking touched by Bakhache’s words, Mohd Anwar adds: “I speak for all Malaysians when I say thank you to Mouawad for helping us honour our past. We must always remember how we came to be, how we struggled and why we continue to be proud of our heritage.

“It’s truly moving to see the symbol of our nation so enduringly rendered. Such an application of art and luxury is something to behold, and I hope that we’ll see similar works from other designers.”

The fund has collected RM1.1 million since its patron, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, launched it in July. Pledges continue to pour in. Says Mohd Anwar: “We’ve utilised the fund to help ex-servicemen who’ve served the nation but are now unable to fend for themselves due to sickness or handicap, so they can have a reasonable life.”

They still need more funds though. “We have enough through our annual collection to manage the more critical cases but what about the others? We’re thinking about other initiatives next year to rekindle that spirit of patriotism in all Malaysians,” says Mohd Anwar.

Well, Bakhache certainly doesn’t need much patriotic prodding. Although not a Malaysian, the Lebanese is very proud of his adopted country. “There’s a Lebanese saying, and a Roman one too, if I’m not mistaken, that goes, ‘live with the people for 40 days, you either become one of them or you get away from them. I’ve been living in Malaysia for many years. I’m proud to be Lebanese but it doesn’t mean that I can’t belong to another place. I feel like I’m at least Malaysian at heart, if not by nationality!”

The Mouawad Boutique is located on the Indulge Floor of Starhill Gallery, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.