2024

CHAUSSURES GOLDEN LOTUS, WAH AIK SHOEMAKER SHOP

Fashion store

For two generations, the owners of this store specialize in reproductions of miniature shoes, which were intended for the concubines in particular, but also for the rich Chinese women under the manchu dynasty Ching (1644-1912). They were bandait their feet to prevent them from developing and, indeed, they remained very small. The Mandchous were treating their wives to make sure they couldn't run skirt. This practice was followed by the towkays, the new rich of Malaysia who had at all costs to imitate the noble and believed, that by turning their daughters into disabled, they would forget their origins of coolie. This practice was prohibited in 1912. Today, these tiny and fairly expensive shoes are more intended for tourists than for women at lotus feet… sorry to break the myth!

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 Malacca
2024

SAM'S BATIK HOUSE

Fashion store

Sam specializes in batiks, but you'll also find some very nice silks and printed cottons. This small, unassuming store is one of the country's leading batik references. Shamdas Bakthani opened this modest store in 1982. Starting out as a simple store selling cheap clothes, Shamdas soon specialized in importing and exporting batiks. He also sells fine collections of Indian blockprints, cotton fabrics in which the motifs are reproduced by hand using wooden blocks.

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 Georgetown