The Baba Nyonyas or Peranakan form a rich part of Malaysia’s
multicultural heritage. The interracial marriage started when a China princess
known as Puteri Hang Li Po was presented to Sultan Mansur Shah who ruled
Malacca in 1459, as a ‘gift’ during China’s Admiral Cheng Ho’s (Zheng He) visit
to Malacca to forge trading ties between China and Malacca. Since then, more
and more immigrants began to marry the local Malays. They formed a unique
hybrid culture which incorporate Chinese and Malay influence and culture. Thus,
the Peranakan heritage was born.
Being a part of this heritage mainly from my mum's side,
I'm always intrigued by everything Nyonya, from food, items to clothing and
interiors.
Speaking of interior, artisan tiles are the highlight of the
peranakan or Nyonya pattern collection. Usually it exhibits natural patterns in
exclusive designs, perfect for traditional decoration in classic interiors.
These famous Nyonya Tiles capture the essence of heritage architecture and are
ideal for feature walls, bathrooms, bedrooms, stairs, kitchens, dining rooms
and even floors.
I was inspired by the patterns and design of the tiles that
I decided to incorporate them into my scarf design. Mainly hand drawn and
painted with watercolours. These tiles consist of beautiful pink peony flowers which is the ' King of Flowers' for Chinese and it symbolizes honor. While the alternate tile design is of the Malay descent.
In order to evoke the sense of royalty since the origin of Nyonya is of the royal descent, the Royal Yellow colour was chosen as the tiles background colour.
I’m hoping to bring more awareness of this beautiful rich Nyonya
culture in Malaysia by creating these scarves for wearers to appreciate and
showcasing them.
Feel Royal with my new Nyonya Collection - the Royal Yellow scarf !
