Despite the popularity of fashionable outfits for Hari Raya, one 16-year-old brand still rolls out evergreen pieces, writes Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan
THE Innai store at a corner in Plaza Damas, Desa Sri Hartamas is teeming with well-dressed ladies looking for their ready-to-wear baju Raya and owner Izrin Ismail, who is just a few weeks shy from giving birth to her second child, attends to customers with two of her store employees.
There are rows of beautiful pieces to choose from and the two fitting rooms are perpetually occupied with customers asking for a different top in a different colour or trying to match it with a different skirt because quite frankly, if you are into something feminine, practical and evergreen, you will be spoilt for choice in this little space.
Izrin tells me it’s going to get even busier on weekends.
PLANTS AND FLOWERS
There is much to love in Innai’s Raya collection, made up of matching batik kurung and separates you can wear with numerous skirts and paroes (they can sew it if you don’t like to tie).
Themed Botanique, the collection is a play of plants and flowers, as seen in the abstract one-off batik kurung called Serai, thanks to the vertical lines on crepe silk reminiscent of the plant and also the Emilie crepe blouse with 3D beading and soft ruffles which you can wear with printed A-line skirts.
“We want to bring out the beauty of flora this time around, both on batik print and on our blouses, incorporating traditional wear elements,” she says.
The Kiani loose blouse with a finely-embroidered hem is reminiscent of baju Kedah, just a more polished one. Other lace tops are also fashioned after the comfortable top from the Northern state so you can move freely in-between scooping rendang and talking to relatives you haven’t met for a while.
“I think when it comes to Innai, beauty goes hand in hand with comfort. Our clothes are light, with most made of silk so you can move easily and comfortably in them. The loose sleeves make them ablution friendly,” she says.
The Serai batik kurung comes with cuffed sleeves, but there are two buttons in case you need to roll your sleeves up for ablution.
There are classic batik modern kurung that come with matching sarong, in Innai’s exclusive prints. It’s a “normal” combo, as Izrin would say, but in the face of trendy Hari Raya outfits made for social media, clothes made for comfort can be such a refreshing change.
MATCHED FOR YOU
Most of the pieces in the store are separates so you can curate your own outfit.
The Emilie or the Inara blouse with tulle overlay comes in pastel shades and at the skirt section, you can match it with several plain and printed ones, whatever suits the look you are trying to achieve.
“Customers appreciate the ability to match their own ensemble. They can choose the combination they prefer and there is less chance of bumping into someone wearing exactly the same top and sarong,” she says.
“Separates also stretch the use of your outfit. You can wear a top with a sarong you already have or wear the blouse with slim pants for a casual look.”
The clothes at Innai go beyond fashion seasons to become collectible pieces, thanks to its classic cuts and fabrics. Maybe that’s why, 16 years on and with just one store, the brand still commands a solid fanbase among stylish urban ladies.
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