What first drew @farahmohan to batik was colour. What kept her there was the way the process refused to stay fixed. “You can’t erase it,” she says. “You have to improvise.” That approach now extends far beyond fabric. For the @novakbatik founder, batik is not confined to clothing or tradition. She continues to push those boundaries, applying the craft to tiles, installations, printmaking, and collaborations that place batik in unexpected contexts.
Read the full story at the link in bio.
Words: @haltingprogress
Director: @qilaqla
Videography: @syabilng
Editor: @farnasyhida
Camera Assistant: @nickluthfy
Photography: @innsyirah
Producer: @haltingprogress
Assistant: @jckt__
#graziamy #batik #aesop #aesopmalaysia #aesopsolais
Kantan 🩷
This piece is part of my Menjadi Kita Series, a look at the ways we overlap.
There’s a story in every petal of the bunga kantan. It’s rooted in Malay tradition, yet it’s the very thing that defines Nyonya heritage. I wanted to capture that 'traveling story' here; the way certain things don't stay in one place, but move and take root in new soil.
We often think of heritage as something to be guarded, but to me, Menjadi Kita is about what we’ve traded, borrowed, and grown together. We aren’t losing who we are, we’re just finding each other.
The Minangkabau.
A piece I created last year for my Menjadi Kita series, finally brought to life.
The Minangkabau are known for their deep-rooted practice of adat perpatih, a matrilineal system where lineage and inheritance are passed through the women. Even today, parts of Negeri Sembilan continue to uphold this tradition.
There is a quiet strength in how they honour women.
Names, homes, and heritage are carried through the mother’s line. It’s a way of protecting and preserving the rights of women across generations.
And yet, alongside this, they remain deeply grounded in Islam, practicing the Five Pillars, dressed in modest Malay Muslim attire. The women adorn the Tengkuluk Tanduak a striking headpiece shaped like buffalo horns, symbolising both identity and pride.
If you’re Minangkabau, I would love to hear more about your culture 🤍
Alhamdulillah, this year we had the opportunity to collaborate with IOI for the Ramadan and Raya 2026 decor across all four of their malls.
Sharing a glimpse of our work at @ioicitymallmy
It took many sleepless nights, but seeing everything finally come together and displayed beautifully in the mall is such a rewarding feeling.
So proud of our team for making it happen.
Thank you, IOI! Definitely our number one favourite mall to visit from now on.
I always think I’m so consistent at being inconsistent. Until I looked back at how much I’ve actually done over the years with batik. Sure, there are times I wonder if I could’ve achieved certain things sooner if only I worked a little harder… but maybe the timing was exactly how it needed to be. Every pause, every detour, every slow step still brought me here and that counts for more than rushing ever could.
This is what happens when you give a local small business a chance.
Finally, I get to share one of the things we’ve been working on, we revamped and made OUR FIRST BOX! Our batik kits are now available at @bukitjalil.tsutayabooks until 2nd September 💛
Only small business owners know how expensive it is to customise your own packaging. No loans, no grants, no big capital, just pure heart and the support from all of you who’ve been encouraging us and actively asking about our products.
Most of our ratings are 5 stars and filled with kind feedback, so it was honestly hard to think of what to improve. But one thing stood out, many of you mentioned buying it as a gift, either for your loved ones or yourself 🥹
So we started the mission to give everyone a full unboxing experience. No more tape and ziplocks like before 🙈 now everything is securely placed in its own pockets, and each box comes with a designed card that matches the design you choose. With our pretty box, it’s like buying two arts in one box 🫶
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. Visit us and support lokal! 🇲🇾✨
We took a little break from social media… and suddenly it turned into four months 😅
But truth is, we never stopped working. If anything, we’ve been busier than ever behind the scenes. Rebuilding, rebranding, refining… and pouring our hearts into what’s coming next.
Honestly, we had so many thoughts running through our head. What if people forget us? What if it’s harder to come back? What was meant to be a short break kept stretching on until I realised… it’s been four months!
Some things we’ve worked on didn’t make it into this video. A few clips went missing (thanks to us not posting much lately, 🙄). But still, here’s a little peek at what we did manage to capture 💛
#novakbatik #batikart #batikmalaysia
Started off calm, but things got a bit kalut towards the end when time ran out. Can you feel the anx’ety? 😂
#batikart #batikpainting #novakbatik #batikmalaysia #lacoste #lacostemalaysia
