“TOUT PASSE, tout lasse, tout casse”—everything passes, everything wears out, everything breaks. Yet, standing against the tides of time is the songket. Once exclusively crafted for the Malay Sultanate’s regalia, it has evolved into a more accessible symbol of heritage for all.

But going beyond the evolution of the songket into a piece of clothing accessible to the public, lies the challenge of how open we are today to the reimagining of it in non-traditional forms. I, for one, am intrigued by a rising Malaysian brand, Fétiche the Label, that has been experimenting with the songket—very daringly at that.

Fétiche the Label reflects its young and bold creator, Shoong Nuo-Wen. She started the brand when she was fresh out of ESMOD Kuala Lumpur, a fashion school. This was during the pandemic, and there was no safety net. She first dabbled in merging Western fashion with cultural textiles— now a signature of her designs—by creating a corset from qipao fabric.

Following her success in the batik corset collection, which was donned even by local celebrities, Shoong was out seeking something novel for Fétiche the Label. On one of her walks for inspiration, she stumbled on a songket casually hanging off a rack in a store on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman— she fell in love. Her original intention of reimagining the songket was to make it more accessible for all races, and at that, she has been successful.

“It may seem that the songket is exclusive to orang Melayu, but when you look more into it, it is also commonly worn by the Baba Nyonyas, the Indonesian community in Malaysia, the Thais and the Burmese. It is not as common to see Chinese and Indians wearing songket, but seeing it on the rack in the store, I loved it so much I wanted my Chinese friends to also fall in love with it.”

While Shoong’s work has garnered a sizeable fan base, some view her approach to be challenging the status quo of songket as a highly dignified Malay fabric—traditionally worn in modest forms. But as Fétiche the Label gains mass exposure, the trifling hate comments are now drowned out by voices of encouragement. The brand’s outreach now extends beyond the border—she has been approached by customers from Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar and Thailand to make designs using their own versions of songket. “The patterns are completely different, but the weaving is almost similar. They really want something that represents their own culture.”

Shoong turned them down for now. “I am open to it, but for now, I just want to present what is Malaysian. I want to really master it, and I want to open the hearts of people who are still closed to it.”

Catering to the Young

Fétiche the Label shot to fame on Instagram and TikTok in mid-2024 through their viral songket corset-pareo set videos. The star of those videos is the limited-edition, pink-lilac songket corset-pareo set with a flowery cape inspired by Rapunzel as portrayed in the Disney movie.

Combining pastel colours and princess-y looks, this fusion of songket with roy-alcore aesthetics—aesthetics based on the visuals associated with Western European royalty—instantly piqued the interest of local young women. There is finally a look for a Southeast Asian-Western European princess crossover!

Part of songket’s decline is due to the hefty price tag that comes with owning one, and is typically only worn on special occasions. Fétiche the Label comes into the game offering value in versatility. Their songket set, priced at around RM200, includes a songket corset, songket pareo and a pair of king sleeves. Worn together, it makes an ethereal outfit for any grandiose occasion; meanwhile, each piece can also be mixed and matched with other more casual accompaniments. Her clients individually style the songket corset with dress shirts, jeans and other creative combinations.

This is aligned with Shoong’s design philosophy, which prioritises versatility and flexibility. All of their corsets are made reversible, and can be worn on both sides— the songket side and the full satin side. As a young person herself, she understands the economic qualms of her young clientele, and wants them to feel like they are getting multiple outfits for the price of one.

“We’re not H&M or SHEIN, and this is not a RM50 baju. This costs a few hundred ringgit, and I really want them to feel like ’Oh my God, this is really worth my money!’ I want them to feel like, ’I can wear this every day, I can wear this every week!’”

Working With Tricky Fabric

To keep costs low, Shoong chooses to use machine-made songket, as handmade ones can cost from RM1,000 per metre. But working on Western designs with machine-made songket poses some challenges: the rigidity of a machine-made songket often turns dreamy, voluminous designs into bulky disasters. Adding to that, complex pattern cuts can upset the songket threadings, risking costly mishaps.

So, what underpins their successful venture with this fabric?

The songket collection went through numerous periods of trial and errors to figure out ways to manipulate the thick fabric. “For the pareo, we have a specific cutting for it, it’s actually not just one big piece of fabric,” Shoong explains. The set comes with a customised pareo ring, redesigned from a Bawal scarf ring to fit the pareo strap. This is the key behind the waist-snatching look of her songket pareos.

Aside from that, Fétiche the Label ensures that songket fabrics undergo exceptional care before production begins. The fabrics are pre-treated with heat, which locks them in shape and prevents shrinking. And before she cuts, the fabric must be reinforced with fabric stabilisers to maintain the integrity of the thread structure.

Another secret ingredient is their fine craftsmanship. During the interview, my eyes lit up when Shoong pointed out the boning insert in the corset centrepiece. The stitching was impeccably neat, and it blended seamlessly with the songket motifs, as if it had always been part of the design. I was even more surprised when Shoong revealed that aside from her, some of these masterpieces are handcrafted by artisans from George Town.

According to Shoong, growing demands led her to commission tailors to help with production. Given her strong belief in slow fashion, it was not an easy decision. She ultimately chose a small factory in George Town. “It costs a lot to ship materials to and from Penang,” she admits. But for Shoong, it was a worthwhile investment, as she has the utmost confidence in the tailors’ skills and craftsmanship. To add, the tailors were actively overseen by another ESMOD alumnus—her junior.

“The King is a Woman”

Shoong utilises her designs to uplift and empower women through inclusivity and bold thinking. In her latest songket collection “The King is a Woman”, Shoong took inspiration from an ancient Chinese empress, who took over her sick husband as the decision-maker in the Chinese court. “For a while, people looked to her as the king,” she shares.

“So far, our corset tops can be quite exposed. I really want to make designs that can be worn by hijabis as well, and anyone who wants to dress more modestly than what Fétiche the Label has been offering,” Shoong says.

Thus, this new collection featuring her king-sleeved blouses is a gift for her hijabi fans, and her way of being more inclusive. The regal songket colours—black, royal blue and white, interlaced with silver songket threads—gives the wearer a commanding presence. In contrast with her previous collection, which showcases more girly, soft colours, this collection celebrates women’s resilience and power.

Through her bold vision and meticulous craftsmanship, Shoong Nuo-Wen and Fétiche the Label have not only redefined songket as modern fashion, but also created a brand whose universal values—women empowerment and cultural pride—resonate with its diverse audience.