In her sun-strewn studio, batik and pelikat fabrics take new form on ready-to-wear pieces.
By Rachel Yeoh
Have you ever learned a bit of knowledge that needed to be unlearned? For Kang Pei Shern, it was an unlearning and relearning that struck an epiphany that led to the opening of betterthanblouses, a boutique that is an extension of who Pei is.
Pei grew up exposed to many interests and hobbies as her parents were always supportive and hands-on when it came to providing their children with memorable experiences. As a result, she did well in so many fields to the point where she was divided on whether to further her studies in hairdressing or medicine.
She went on to study medicine, and after graduating, she worked in big pharma as a medical manager.
Call it fate. Call it divine intervention. Call it whatever—but as a child, she often internalised good-meaning compliments that she was a ‘jack of all trades’ with a pinch of negativity. She thought herself inadequate, unfocused, and just average. Well, most know the proverb as, ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’, right?
Then her husband completed the often-used-but-unfinished phrase with ‘is oftentimes better than a master of one.’
Those eight words revolutionised her world.
Just before getting married, Pei moved to Penang, where her now-husband is, to work for another pharmaceutical company. However, after two years, she was asked to head back to Kuala Lumpur, to which she declined and resigned.
For the next few months, she was fortunate enough to have time to invest in her many interests. Pei got her hands dirty doing ceramics and soaps, among others; but it was sewing that got her stitched!
Pei’s mother, looking every bit like a street style fashionista, even at 70, is the ambassador of betterthanblouses
She attributed this interest to her mother, who, at 70 years, is still very fashionable. Pei recounted the times when she would peek into her mother’s closet to draw inspiration from her eclectic clothing and impeccable style. She passed down treasured batik fabrics to Pei when she started making her own pieces. Her mother-in-law also played a paramount role, teaching her all she needed to know about putting two fabrics together to create masterpieces.
“When I was younger, I used what I wore to express myself, especially during the weekends and when we went to church; because during the weekdays, we wore pinafores in school.
“That was when I developed my style, mixing and matching, putting print on print—and that is how I package the apparels I make for my customers.
“And I find that this gives confidence to my customers,” Pei says.
She started out making simple tops that range from crops and split-backs. Her family, impressed by the work of her hands, encouraged her to do more.
She did.
After all, she learned from her now completed (possibly her favourite) proverb that it is possible to go after a passion that is totally unrelated to what she studied.
It’s all smiles at her pop-up store at Hin Bus Depot with her mother-in-law.
In December 2018, betterthanblouses (the name plays ode to the proverb) made its debut at Hin Market at Hin Bus Depot, a bustling Sunday pop-up market in George Town. It sold out. She then started selling her pieces on Instagram, and the three to four blouses she made per week would be snatched up like hot buns.
Then came a fork in the road.
Pei landed a job at a pharmaceutical company in July 2019, but they frowned upon her involvement in her little business, calling it a conflict of interest.
Oh bother!
It was then that she landed a spot at RIUH, a highly-trafficked, monthly creative bazaar in Kuala Lumpur. It was like deja vu as her items were flying off its rails, and there wasn’t a moment to sit and take in the overwhelmingly positive response.
That episode made her decide to jump into the deep end of the pool with betterthanblouses.
Every piece is cut specifically to bring the printed patterns to life when worn.
In December 2019, she launched www.betterthanblouses.com, mere months before the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown hit. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because her business went global while she worked on her pattern matching and cutting in the upstairs room of 45, Lebuh Melayu. It is where her quaint vintage boutique adorned with antiques also resides.
Pei now works with different types of batik from Kelantan, Terengganu, and Indonesia. However, betterthanblouses is not limited to wax-resist print and blouses. The former doctor also introduced other prints and linear-patterned kain pelikat under the snip-snip-snip of her scissors. The results? Emblematic pleated shorts, A-line dresses, and pleated skirts.
Moving forward, she is looking into menswear and creating printed fabric with the help of her artist husband, Thomas Powell.
Pei also models her handiwork.
“The stuff I make, I like wearing it myself. It dawned on me that it was good when women would come up to me to compliment what I was wearing, asking where they could get one.
“I guess you can say that it is an extension of myself, and I am so happy to have tremendous support from my family. This business involves a lot of family effort.
“I don’t know how long this will last, but whatever happens in the future, betterthanblouses is a project that will always be looked upon fondly.”
A concoction of oxymoronic attributes, Rachel Yeoh is a lazy overachiever. She writes for a living and runs a homemade granola company. Always planning for something to do while procrastinating on her bed, she sometimes finds herself performing a little something-something in front of an audience.
All photos courtesy of Kang Pei Shern.