Celebrating shared tradition: custom printed Baju Kebaya with Bruneian Songket and hand-painted Euca silk

For The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange 2018, designer Na Forrer exchanged with artisans Lully Selb to create a look that was inspired by women and will inspire women. The look was unveiled at Buckingham Palace on February 19, 2018, and later moved to the Australian High Commission, London, where it was open to the public in the run up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit, April 2018.

Lully Selb, a contemporary modestwear brand, was launched in 2015, synergizing the strengths of both co-founders – Selb, who graduated with a Fashion Design degree from a joint university partnership between NAFA (Singapore) and Huddersfield University (UK); and Lully, a creative artist and Fine Arts graduate.

In celebrating this collaboration between Singapore and Brunei, the focus was on the evolution of the modern Malay woman, as it is a symbol of a shared history and identity. For this project, Na Forrér created an evening dress known as a “Baju Kebaya” - a common traditional womenswear worn by Malay women from Brunei and Singapore during formal events and festivities.