By Lucia Terey John
PONTIAN (Bernama) -- Baju Bodo is the traditional Bugis attire that is becoming an increasingly popular choice for bridal wear.
Fashion designer Khairul Fadzly Jamal, 37, says he has been receiving more requests for Baju Bodo wedding attire since he first promoted the outfit at a bridal fair a year ago.
“Baju Bodo is for brides. The grooms wear Jas Tutu, a traditional Bugis male attire.
“I am of Bugis descent and am of course proud of my heritage and its traditional garments. Baju Bodo is among the bridal wear that my late mother used to prepare for brides when dressing them for their weddings,” said the owner the Senorita Wedding Planner boutique in Pekan Nanas, 18km near here.
The 37-year-old, who goes by Didie, said his interest in traditional Bugis attire was sparked at the age of six when accompanying his mother to prepare brides on their wedding day. He was especially inspired by Baju Bodo and eventually opened a bridal boutique to carry on his mother’s legacy.
NOT THAT EASY TO MAKE
Didie, who hailed from Kampung Pak Musa, Pekan Nanas said that the idea to open a boutique came in late 2008. At the time, he was an accounts executive at a government agency.
“My family is well-known in the village because my mother and grandmother owned a home-operated traditional wedding attire boutique called Andaman Ani.
“However, we had to shut down the business after a fire broke out in our home in 2007. Many of our collections were destroyed,” he told Bernama in an interview.
The Baju Bodo is a sleeveless or short-sleeved, rectangular-shaped dress that is sometimes decorated with beads and lace and worn with a sarong called the lipa sabbe/lipa garusuk.
Jas Tutu, meanwhile, is a long-sleeved garment with gold or silver-plated buttons at the neck. It is also worn with sarong.
Didie said that many thought the traditional attire was easy to make because its design seemed simple. However, a lot actually goes into the making of one.
“In addition to selecting the appropriate fabric for the dress, we also must ensure that we pick the right colour. In Bugis culture, certain colours represent the age and status of its wearer.
“For example, green is only worn by the nobles while purple are for widows and divorcees,” he explained.
JEWELLERY PAIRING
History has shown that the Bugis community in Sulawesi were the first to use muslin, kasa and silk fabrics from Makassar to make the traditional attire.
“Seeing as some of those fabrics can be difficult to obtain these days, I use organza and Thai silk instead which can be easily obtained from Batam, Indonesia or Thailand,” he said, adding that it took two to three months to make every pair of Baju Bodo or Jas Tutu.
On the wedding day, the couple must complete their ensemble by pairing it with gold or silver accessories, worn from head to toe.
He said this was necessary as without the appropriate jewellery, the couple would not appear as resplendent as traditional Bugis wedded couples should on their wedding day.
“The appearance of luxury is synonymous with the Bugis community. Brides should at least wear a crown called saloko, sanggul (elaborate, traditional hairpins) or a pinang goyang headpiece, long earrings or bangkarak, bracelets and a heavy necklace or geno ma bule,” Didie explained.
Lotus petals or paes dadas are also drawn of the bride’s forehead while the groom would wear accessories like a keris, belt, headpiece or passapu, bangles, sash or rante sembang or rantekote (long necklace).
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE
“Today, not only soon-to-be married couples rent wedding attires but those seeking outfits for certain functions as well. The boutique is becoming more popular, unlike when it first started.
“There was a time when I went two months without even one customer, but I didn’t give up,” said Didie, who opened the boutique in 2009.
Friends advised him to promote his business through social media.
“To be honest, I was not that social media-savvy but my friends say that this is the most effective way of promoting my business to the public,” he said, leading him to eventually open a Facebook account for his boutique.
His boldness in entering several state and district bridal fairs have also contributed to the popularity of his boutique.
“I was elated when my Baju Bodo and Jas Tutu won the Best Dress and Best Accessories categories during the Gala Seri Pesona Pengantin exhibition at the Angsana Mall in Johor Bahru last year.
“That was the result of what my mother and grandmother taught me over the years. I am proud that the attires caught the jury’s attention,” he said.
STUDY BUGIS HERITAGE
Didie plans to introduce more Bugis traditional clothes into his collection as well as those from other cultures such as Johor-Riau and Pahang-Riau.
He believed that the knowledge he gained since young was not enough. As such, he wanted to further study and delve into the history and background of traditional attires and share the knowledge with the public, especially the younger generation of Bugis descent.
The Johor Bugis Association committee member Abdul Hadi Ambok Instang, 48, praised Didie for the effort.
“We have always encouraged our youths to wear the tradition attire for their wedding ceremony so that we can keep the heritage alive,” he said.
Translated by Sakina Mohamed
-- BERNAMA
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