Each purchase directly benefits the artisan who made it (All photos: Batik Boutique)
Founded in 2013, Batik Boutique is part of founder and CEO Amy Blair’s mission to share Malaysia’s rich batik heritage with the world. A native Texan who relocated to Asia to consult for an international tourism agency, she befriended a local single mother in need of financial support. Learning how to speak Bahasa Malaysia along the way and falling in love with traditional batik, Blair identified and sought to find a way to provide sustainable income versus mere and temporary handouts, while filling a gaping hole in the tourism-related gifting industry.
From its initial founding as a small initiative to empower a single mother, Batik Boutique has grown into an internationally recognised social enterprise where women from low-income backgrounds are trained to create batik fashion accessories, gifts and clothing. With three stores in the Klang Valley (at The Row in Jalan Doraisamy, 1 Mont Kiara and IOI City Mall) and one more at The Westin Desaru Coast in Johor, it is the ideal place to shop for Raya. Choose from travel congkak sets to table runners, cushion covers, men’s shirts and even the innovative batik kebaya top that comes with a detachable inner lining, transforming it from the classic kebaya to a stylish cover-up top. Better yet, each purchase directly benefits the artisan who made it.
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This article first appeared on Mar 10, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
