A night of dazzling bling

AS EXPECTED, the crystal bead embroidery competition held by the Fashion Trade Institute of Malaysia Designing Centre (FTIMdc) was a night for the beading community to emerge in a glory of eye-bedazzling bling.

A theme of traditional Malay glamour set the mood for the gala dinner at which models and guests competed for attention in their richly embroidered baju kurung.

But, more than anything else, it was the underlying current of emotion which spoke the loudest amidst the rustle of glamorous heavily sequinned fabrics.

Labour of love: Fauzah Nurzuruhan showing off the fancy beadwork her sister has done on her sleeves.

For one, FTIMdc principal Rosita Jaafar, 44, had chosen her mother, Maimunah Md. Halim, 64, to officiate at this inaugural competition. This, on Rosita’s part, was one way of honouring the woman who had been the strongest force in providing her with the inspiration to start a school and subsequently, the publication of nine beading and embroidery books in her name.

Rosita also surprised her own employees and suppliers by calling them on stage to receive tokens of appreciation for their faith and support over the years.

In her opening speech, Rosita stressed the importance for women to equip themselves with the necessary skills so that they would be able to sustain themselves and their children financially.

Citing her mother Maimunah as an example of a single mother who had raised three children by sewing costumes for entertainers in Johor, Rosita pointed out that instead of surrendering to tears and depression, her mother had opted to empower herself with her sewing skills.

“Tears will not bring anything but hunger and hardship for you and your children. But, equip yourself with a skill and you will be able to hold your head high, proud in the knowledge that you can provide for your family. Though I will not promise that beading and embroidery will bring you riches, I can assure you that it can improve your lives by providing you with extra income,” Rosita said in her speech.

For the competition, participants were judged on their creativity, where imagination was required to coordinate the colours and shapes of the beads and bring out the beauty of the base fabric. Workman­ship was another criterion, whereby the neatness of stitches and the fine details, such as the crumpling of fabric around a cluster of beads, were taken into account.

“There is something priceless in the art of bead and sequin em­broidery because it requires two things that no machine can replicate – the gentleness of the human hand and an infinite amount of patience,” Rosita stressed.

Worthy gift: DK Hazlina, wearing the kebaya given by her husband as part of their wedding ‘hantaran’. She walked away with the best dressed prize that evening.

The crystal beads embroidery competition was held in conjunction with the FTIMdc’s 10th anniversary. at the Tun Rahah Grand Ballroom in Menara Yayasan Tun Razak.

Twenty-three participants sent in their embroidered baju kurung designs for the competition and the top three winners were given prizes with a net worth of RM6,000, consisting of 916 gold lockets, trophies, a vacation to a local destination and certificates as well as gifts from sponsors. Ain Nurfarahin Zyed Ahmad, a 20-year-old student of the centre, won the competition with her floral-themed arrangement on a red baju kurung.

Blogger and avid beader D.K. Hazlina won the best dressed award for the night wearing a green kebaya which had been part of her dowry from her husband’s side.

For further information, visit http://www.ftimdc.com or call 03-5638 2949

published in The Star on Monday, April 13, 2009.

All that glitters ...

While all that glitters may not be gold, Rosita Jaafar has found that sequins and beads are worth their weight in gold.

IN every sense, Rosita Jaafar, 43, is as glamorous as her sequinned dresses. This is best seen from her expressive eyes and how she cocks her head when she speaks.

Empowering women: Rosita Jaafar found beading to be a sustainable skill, which women could employ to become financially independent.

Sequins and beads are very much the focus of the former beauty queen (first runner up in the Miss Malaysia Central 1987 pageant).

“There is magic to be found in sequins, you know,” the sultry siren purred. Rosita's got a point – from the virtue of their shine and myriad shapes, beads and sequins will turn even the most drab garment into a million-dollar outfit.

Rosita fell in love with these shiny objects at the tender age of six when she watched her mother sewing them on to the costumes of entertainers and singers in Johor.

“When I was older, I’d even take over the sewing for her when she went to work. When she came back, she’d find a new piece of ‘art work’ in addition to her own,” Rosita recalled with a laugh.

Today, sewing with sequins and beads has become her livelihood. She has authored no less than six instructional books on the subject of dressmaking and is the owner of Fashion Trade Institute of Malaysia (FTIM) which offers classes on dressmaking and of course, beading.

“Beading is a value-added feature to dressmaking. Take, for example, a plain sarong which will cost no more than RM10. Sew on a design of sequins to it and it can fetch as much as RM1,500. But of course, there has to be a sense of technique, creativity and colour matching to the scheme,” said Rosita.

And beading, said this entrepreneur from Johor, is no different from any art form which requires creativity and passion.One has to understand the concept of shape and texture to create, for example, a water lily or cherries hanging from a tree.

Different coloured beads are used for roses.

“For me, inspiration comes from the things that I look at daily. The way the sand looks after a crab has walked over it, flowers, leaves, the rain – these are the motifs behind my designs.And because this art form demands a lot of patience and concentration, embarking on a project often takes me to a trance-like state where everything else, including my stresses and worries, becomes secondary,” said Rosita.

Tactile senses, she said, also plays an important part in beading.

“It’s all in the feel. You have to gauge with your fingers the tautness of the thread when sewing the beads in place.

“Pull it too tight and the fabric will crumple around the beadwork, too slack and the bead composition will look loose and the beads may even fall off over time,” she pointed out.

What drives this sultry entrepreneur to stick her needle into such an intricate art form?

“When I started my business in 1996 with my own funds, I wanted to do something which could empower women.

“I saw that beading could be a sustainable skill because it requires no paper qualifications and little capital to start with,” she said.


And Rosita would know how difficult life can be for many disadvantaged women, having grown up in a single parent family of three siblings.

Advanced techniques are used for a 3D effect.

“From age 8, I was earning my own money,” she revealed.

During her childhood days, Rosita would take two bags to school. One plastic bag held school books while another contained fruits like langsat which she would sell for 5 sen or 10 sen to her school mates. The money she earned went towards helping her mother make ends meet.

Today, Rosita conducts motivational workshops all over the country for women’s groups. Having seen how her own mother struggled, she understands how beautiful, brilliant women who have no paper qualifications or work experience are often left in the lurch when their spouses leave them.

“Life is not easy but it is not impossible either. The important thing is to set targets and to learn as you go along.

“It is no use for women to have this presumption that they are incapable of anything except to bear children and be homemakers,” insisted Rosita.

Beading is also a pleasurable hobby and her classes at the 3C Complex in Bandar Sunway is where beading enthusiasts gather for their art and to indulge in chit chat.

Sundays, says Rosita, are always good days to come by because that’s where everybody is in a relaxed mode.

As for this busy beader, she says that she has not had a Sunday off for the past 12 years.
“I take time off during weekdays instead,” said Rosita, who has a child.

To sign up for Rosita’s beading classes, contact 03-5638 2949 or browse www.ftimdc.com.