In search of the exclusive factor
Interview by Jassmine Shadiqe
2009/09/28
Aslinda Ramli, 40, is principal of a Child Day Care Centre in Singapore.
 |
| The scarf matches the baju kurung perfectly. Now to master several ways to wear the scarf. |
 |
| Spoilt for choices, the writer hopes to find the right size of clothes for her eight-year-old son. |
THE main reason why I, like many other Singaporeans, love to travel to Johor Baru frequently is definitely because of the exchange rate.
For every one Singapore dollar, we get about RM2.40. I can certainly buy more things with RM2.40.
Another thing, besides the exchange rate, is the exclusiveness.
If you buy a baju kurung in Singapore, believe me, someone may eventually be able to point out where the suit was purchased from.
Worst is when you go visiting and chance upon someone else wearing the same outfit.
That is one of the main reasons why people rather tailor-make their clothes instead of buying it off the rack.
But with the Hari Raya, tailors were no longer taking orders.
We, Singaporean Malays, are a small community, and like any other countries, each race has a certain place where they flock to -- so people in Singapore will eventually know where you bought your clothing and the price you paid for it.
In Singapore, we have the Little India in Serangoon, China Town in Pagoda Street, and Malay village in Geylang Serai. But still there is a big chance of bumping into someone wearing the same outfit.
That is what draws me to Johor Baru, especially Plaza Angsana. It is because of its exclusiveness.
Plaza Angsana in Tampoi town centre is a place that over the years had survived many economic crises and still is a huge favourite among Singaporean Malays.
Honestly, there are almost no branded outlets such as Guess and MNG in the shopping complex, yet it survived.
On my recent visit, I noticed that there are a few more franchised brands such as Levis, the Body Shop, Elianto and also sporting apparel like Adidas and Nike stores, but a huge number of the shoplots are still owned by individuals selling unbranded but quality items, or those who provide services, such as hair salons, spas or bridal shops and wedding planners.
Even though there are rows after rows of stores selling baju kurung, yet it would be difficult to find two of the same design.
I mean, each design is beautiful on its own.
The prices are never fixed and bargaining is much expected.
I can purchase a unique baju kurung for about RM150.
With $S100, I can actually buy a decent suit, tudung, and shoes to match and also drive back to Singapore on a full stomach.
Early this month, my husband and I took our children to Johor Baru on a shopping trip.
We needed to get three sets of baju melayu for the boys and a baju kurung each for the girls.
Also to be bought were scarves for the girls and songkok for the boys as well as shoes.
We also needed a table-cloth for our dinning table, and a set of new curtains with matching cushion covers.
My husband drove to Johor Baru about 6pm and headed straight towards the newly opened Banafee Village restaurant in Jalan Dato Abdullah.
After breaking our fast and performing prayers, we drove to Angsana Plaza.
I am so thankful that the management extended the operation hours to 11pm. Finally, I managed to find almost everything we needed.
I am certain nobody could guess where we bought our baju raya.
|
