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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion

Salabianca's beautiful hand-beaded creations

Posted: 03 Dec 2012 07:22 AM PST

Since its inception, Salabianca has prided itself on being an 'embellishment establishment', offering beautiful hand-beaded creations.

IN Salabianca's head office in Ampang, Selangor, a group of women are sitting around a work table. They are painstakingly hand-stitching beads of various shapes and sizes onto garments.

The women are engrossed in their work, calculating the number of beads to correspond to the patterns on a sample. Beading is a laborious and tedious process. Observe them for a few minutes and you get an idea of how long it takes to embellish a piece of garment.

According to the brand founders Tino Soon and Allan Chan, one of Salabianca's key looks is craft. By offering hand-beaded and embellished pieces, they are offering exclusivity.

"Craft and handiwork gives fashion a sense of preciousness. It's a guaranteed exclusivity," says Chan. "It's our reaction to the mass-produced high-street stuff."

Chan adds that adapting old-school handmade or hand-beaded methods for a "three dimensional effect" makes fashion special. "In our age of Facebook and Twitter, we are all part of a group. So choosing something individually different allows us to step out of that group and express ourselves, and that's what fashion should be all about.

"Salabianca's items are put together by artisans ... it's our commitment to keep alive the traditional art of artisanal handiwork and craft as well as support the livelihood of these artisans," muses Chan.

Salabianca, which prides itself as an "embellishment establishment", has always been about intricate detailing since it started in 1995. But the trade is facing imminent extinction as it is not easy getting people to do beadwork.

"The group of women at our Ampang office are from Vietnam and they were trained to sew beads upon their arrival here," explains Soon, who adds that young Malaysians are simply not interested.

"They want jobs that are easy and will make them quick money. It's all about short-term gain and they fail to realise that this is a skill that they can hone," he adds.

"It is hard to find people to do beadwork these days. It's time-consuming and taxing on the eyes. And you play with different materials like sequins, beads, stones and laser-cut flowers."

It takes 10 to 14 days for a garment to be beaded. One particularly challenging dress took 240 hours to be beaded, says Soon. Since most of the women who have beading skills are older, with families and children, Salabianca hires them on a project basis. Fifty women – mostly housewives – in the Ampang neighbourhood currently bead for the brand.

"We send the samples with the beads (different types, all calculated and packed in plastic bags) so they can work from home. They can supplement their income and we can get the embellishments done. It's a win-win situation," says Soon.

The fact that beading, embroidery and sewing no longer interest young women is obvious.

The rise of fast fashion where clothes are produced in massive quantities in factories, mostly in China or Vietnam, plays a role in the demise of these craft.

"When we started in 1995, we knew a woman in Banting who could bead. She still works for us from home. Her husband picks up the clothes and sends them back once they are completed," says Soon. But he is hard-pressed to find new beaders.

"The art is really dying. Even our seamstresses are getting older and we don't have younger ones."

While the trade is seen as "unglamorous" here, beading and embroidery is perceived as an exclusive art in the West, especially Europe.

The haute couture industry depends on these skills to produce exquisite clothes. So rare is this trade that French luxury house Chanel, years ago, bought over different companies specialising in embroidery, beading and feather work to ensure a supply of these craftsmen.

These companies are allowed to work for other labels, a sign that there are not enough craftsmen to serve the high fashion industry.

Therefore, Salabianca hopes that local seamstresses, embroiderers and beaders are accorded the same respect.

"It is a learned skill. You can buy a blouse or a skirt, but to get a garment hand–beaded with a vast combination of beads is not easy."

As beading is a slow process, delivery cannot move as fast for Salabianca. From making a sample to getting the stocks in the stores, the process can sometimes take up to nine months.

"I think, in the end, we only have ourselves to blame when traditional crafts die. We want things cheap and fast," says Chan.

But Salabianca is not backing down. Instead of paring down its beads, it is sticking to its guns to produce what it calls complete garments – clothes that are beaded front and back.

"I cannot accept it when the beadwork is focused only on the front of the clothes," claims Soon, "It's a big no-no!

"We would like to be different. There is no thought, intelligence and challenge if everyone looks and thinks the same way," concludes Soon.

Salabianca's embellished T-shirts cost between RM88 and RM118, while dresses are priced from RM138 to RM838, all available at Salabianca and G.P.S. stores.

Handy tips

Salabianca offers some tips on how to protect beaded garments:

> While the beads used are treated before sewing so that the colours won't run on the fabric, dry cleaning chemicals may damage them.

> When you can, hand-wash instead of dry clean.

> Tell the cleaner to turn the garment inside-out before dry cleaning.

> Don't send garments for dry cleaning too often.

To eliminate the smell of worn clothes, steam them in the bathroom by running hot water.

Let the clothes soak in the steam and then air the clothes in the sun.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Isnin, 3 Disember 2012