Songket - A Regal Malaysian Heritage
This series of stamps feature beautiful designs and motifs that can be found on a Malaysian brocade textile called Songket. Songket is produced by inserting gold or silver thread in between silk or cotton weft or latitudinal threads of the main cloth. Once exclusive to the Malay royal courts, songket is now accessible to anyone who can afford it. Prices range from above one hundred to tens of thousands of ringgit per piece depending on the workmanship and material.
Intricately woven, songket is not for daily wear. Intricate cross woven with gold or silver thread songket is worn during special occassion or celebration. Tied to the Malay traditional, songket originates from the eastern state of west malaysia namely Kelantan and Terengganu.
Sarong is an open ended tube 1 meter in diameter is a form of clothing. Sarongs can be made from any fabric normally cotton. Suitable wear for hot tropical climate. Normally with hand/printed batik designs is a porpular day/night wear for women. If worn topless, tie it at chest. It worn as a bottom attire, tie it at waist and put on a cool cotton blouse as the top attire. Asian men wear sarong woven with coloured cotton threads. Pattern normally as checked boxes and lines. Mostly worn tied at waist with cotton top shirts. Malays wear em short ("sampin") over pants. These are normally more formal wear with golden treads pattern which is the songket.
Songket fabric is not only for the men's short sarong "sampin". They are also made into full clothings such as baju melayu, baju kurong, baju kebaya mostly worn by bride and bridegroom, or for formal wear such as graduation or hari raya.
Songket prices depends on the intricacy of the design. Recommended item is the cotton sampin with songket design for both formal and informal mens wear with the baju melayu. Available in many rich deep colour tones or light pastel colour. Short sarong prized at RM110 and full sarong at RM160