Pineapple fibre frocks

Even those indifferent to fashion will be curious about a gown made from pineapple fibre.

Designers: Aaron George (standing) and Raymond Jolly.

Von Jolly Gallery
Bangsar Baru
103, Jalan Telawi
Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 012-2678233/019-2456241

All gowns are made of soft chiffon, velvety silk and delicate georgettes, right? And so when Sarawakian designers Raymond Jolly, 53, and Aaron George, 29, of Von Jolly say they are launching a three-piece collection made of pineapple fibre, I think my leg is being pulled.

“You’re kidding, right?” I shoot back, incredulous.

They assure me they aren’t.

But seeing is believing, so I make for the Von Jolly Gallery in Bangsar to verify this strange dress with my own eyes.

But the designer team of uncle and nephew decide to prolong the suspense and take me for teh tarik at Devi’s Corner. It is important, they insist, that I first be made to understand that their latest line is not a fruity idea.

And so, over some tea, I learn that this fabric, made of pineapple fibre, is actually tepina, which is 50% silk and 50% pina (pineapple fibre).

Raymond and Aaron say they stumbled upon the fabric during a holiday to an “Asian island”. But instead of waxing lyrical, the two started, oddly enough, to lambast the tepina as a “rogue fabric with incorrigible characteristics”.

“It has a low thread count, so we have to use lining. It is also rough in texture,” says Raymond.

Aaron nods and complains about its unsuitability for batik, saying the colour spread can only be controlled to a certain degree.

So why choose the tepina, I ask.

The pineapple batik dresses. — VON JOLLY

“Our collections have always featured the soft and flowing look. For our new collection, we wanted to have structure. The tepina affords us this luxury,” says Aaron.

“It is a unique fabric, possessing a beautiful shine. You can see this after it has been ironed. Under heat, the fibres will expand and give the dress the illusion of volume,” chimes in Raymond.

The exoticness of tepina is also another plus factor.

“It is not commonly used here, so it will give the wearer an exclusive feel. Of course, the question will arise as to why we didn’t use something local, like the pua kumbu (tapestries from Sarawak), which is equally exotic. But we had to consider the practical aspects.

“The tepina, which has already been through a colour adherence process, can withstand washing with minimal colour run. Subject the pua kumbu to the same treatment and you can write off the whole piece as a kitchen rag,” explains Raymond.

“The theme of this new collection is based on the lively atmosphere of a wedding. The design philosophy is best described as eclectic, a juxtaposition of the elite, the luxurious and the refined,” says Aaron.

They show me their grandest piece, a long, panelled gown with puff sleeves, an orchid patterned affair in red and orange done in the batik style. This number, says Raymond, is marked for a red-carpet night but it will have to wait till the right woman comes along.

“The wearer has to have height to carry off this number,” says Raymond, who reveals that Erra Fazira was supposed to have worn it for a live event but it was too big for the slim actress and needed adjustment.

“Alterations are no problem but it takes time. The event was scheduled for noon the next day and she only came in the day before at 4pm. We had to decline because there would be no time for fittings,” he explains regretfully.

The rest of the collection comprises a flouncy, knee-length dress with a flirty off-shoulder cut and a men’s jacket.

“Not a very big collection, is it?” I am on the verge of saying when I remember the wedding theme: the stunning gown would be for the bride, the matching jacket for the groom, and the knee-length dress for the bridesmaid.

It makes sense.

And the price tag?

The Von Jolly team charges no less than RM2,000 for each piece. Tepina may be a “rogue material” but it’s not cheap, is it?

A touch of glamour

The pineapple batik dresses. — VON JOLLY

Fashion designers have always aligned themselves with celebrities to push their creations to the forefront, and in this regard, the Von Jolly duo are no different.

Since they began collaborating in 2005, the uncle and nephew have won the grand prize in the fashion category of the Piala Seri Indon batik design competition and have dressed celebrities like Sazzy Falak, Wan Zaleha Radzi and Asha Gill.

Batik is a theme that is present in each of their creations.

“When Sazzy Falak hosted Anugerah Era in September 2006, we had to come up with an outfit that blended in with their Denim and Leather theme. So we created a denim gown with a batik motif for that Malaysian touch. This is a reverse technique where we had to paint ethnic designs on the denim after the gown was made,” recalls Raymond.

Their efforts paid off because Sazzy was voted the Best Dressed Woman by EH! Magazine in one of their 2007 issues.

Dressing Asha, says Aaron, was a breeze because of her perfect figure. Asha wore a Von Jolly chiffon gown at the TAG Heuer India Polo Event on Nov 30, 2006 in New Delhi.

“Asha liked the gown Wan Zaleha wore to a function at Starhill, Kuala Lumpur, so she gave us a free hand with the design. We opted for big floral prints because we knew she would be able to carry it off,” recalls Aaron.

“As for Wan Zaleha, she wore our Summer 2007 range, which carries a Greek goddess theme, at a TAG Heuer event on Nov 16, 2006. She is petite, but has a mannequin’s figure, so we played with drapes and flows to give her a fuller figure. For this, we used our signature colours of purple and olive.”

Raymond, who formerly worked in Shell’s logistics and planning department, says affiliations with celebrities are just part of the big picture.

“The challenge for a designer is not in dressing a model but in making the average-looking woman look stunning. Models are perfect but normal women come in all sizes and shapes, so it’s important for your creations to have a good sense of proportion,” he explains.

“The haute couture line is a competitive business but we have devised a business package that ensures exclusivity is maintained, from the production of the fabric to the completion of the dress.

“Then it is a matter of getting good clients and doing the best for them. Word of mouth will eventually travel and the client base will grow from there,” adds Raymond.

How is this different from another designer’s approach?

“The others may get their fabrics from Euro Moda or Gulati’s, but our forte is batik. All our fabrics are hand-painted batik designed by us. We see to it that the end result comes out as expected – refined and very, very exclusive,” says Aaron.

Published in The Star, Saturday March 17, 2007