YBrs. Encik Shahrin Mokthar, Director of Package Development Division of Tourism Malaysia officiated the announcement of Malaysia’s first and largest Kebaya Festival – Karnival Kebaya Malaysia 2022, an alluring cultural experience embracing the colors and traditions of Malaysia for all walks of life.
Supported by the Ministry of Arts, Tourism & Culture (MOTAC) and Tourism Malaysia, the festival marks the efforts and contributions to preserve and educate on Malaysia’s tourism, culture, and heritage through traditional fashion by Miss Malaysia Kebaya (MMK) -– one of the household names in the Fashion industry. In addition to this, it is also a stepping stone aligned with the ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ campaign that aims to capture and define the essence of the country’s unique multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation, making Malaysia an exceptional tourist destination; full of culture and heritage from all walks of life.
Mr Adam Ham, on behalf of the government, commented saying, “Having only a few inaugural events like this in Malaysia, it will function as a tourist attraction for foreigners and locals alike to drop by as they visit Malaysia’s capital where they can learn about our traditions, heritage and culture all at once. What MMK is trying to do with the Kebaya Karnival Malaysia 2022 is a great example of how we can preserve and educate the rakyat about our roots and we are happy to support them on their journey of showcasing Malaysia’s culture, heritage, and tourism for the future generation.”
Malaysia is known for its multi-ethnic and multicultural nation, therefore when it comes to traditional clothing, the variety and choices available in Malaysia are endless. With the rapid development of technology and the rise of the new modern era; it is inevitable that modernization is slowly taking over traditional aspects of Malaysia including clothing as it is more common now to find modern ‘baju kebaya’ or modern ‘baju kurung’ available in the Malaysian market as compared to traditional outfits.
Dr. Jason Hee, organizer of MMK said, “In this era, we observe that everything is being modernized, including our traditional assets. Although we embrace and support these changes, we also want to remind and re-educate the rakyat about Malaysia’s unique traditions, especially our traditional clothing. With that, I hope that this festival would not just be a festival of fashion, but a festival of heritage and culture, that will leave a lasting impact on all the attendees.”
Festival-goers can expect a jam-packed 6-in-1 immersive cultural experience over two weekends in October that features – workshops, forums, kebaya exhibitions of different varieties, and beauty competitions to engage the public during their time at the event. Not only that, MMK will be collaborating with industry fashion designers along with universities and colleges to successfully establish a platform that inspires and encourages future designers in the country.
MOTAC and Tourism Malaysia alongside MMK are ecstatic to share Malaysia’s culture and heritage to the world and hope that this festival will encourage more people locally and internationally to visit Malaysia and experience the culture for themselves.
The festival will kickstart on the weekend of 15-16 October 2022 at Damen Mall, USJ where visitors and participants will be welcomed with colorful exhibitions, forums, and workshops as well as get the chance to watch the semi-finals of the cultural kebaya competitions. To conclude the event in a festive manner, MMK will close the festival with a gala night embraced by cultural, costume dances and performances organized by JKKN at the Garden Ballroom, Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur on 30 October 2022 officiated by the Ministry
of Tourism, Arts & Culture.
For more information please visit MMK’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MissMalaysiaKebaya/
