Monday, February 25, 2008

From Malong to Nursing Scrubs




Mention the word "batik" and immediately, I think of gaggle of girls doing their laundry at the river wearing nothing but tapis. The said tapis or sarong, or malong, inevitably designed with "batik" prints. Batik is in fact the term used to describe the malong or tube skirts made in Indonesia that are almost exclusively imported by the vendors in Southern Philippines. The malong or tube skirt, on the other hand, is a traditional piece of garment used by various tribes in the said part of the Philippines. Each tribe has its own unique way of weaving, decorating, and using the malong. Beyond its common use as a piece of clothing, malong is also used as blanket, baby crib, wardrobe, decoration, poncho, scarf, and head gear among others.

We have been carrying different styles of malongs at the store. To get the most authentic tribal kinds, we have travelled as far as Davao and Zamboanga. At one time or another, our store carried the traditional black and white T-boli Malong and the more colorful Maguindanao ones. But our most common Malongs are the mass-produced ones made of Batik fabric from Indonesia. These are the malongs usually worn by denizens of the Southern Philippines and elsewhere - whether for lounging, certain ceremonies, and dance.

Testing the batik's versality futher, we thought of having them made into nursing scrubs. The fabric is lightweight, cool, and colorful. What a way to wear your "colors", we thought. So there you have it, batik nursing scrub! The scrubs look every inch the traditional scrubs with V-necks, front pockets and side-slits. They are unisex and they come in all 3 sizes: small, medium and large. They come slightly large - perfect for everyone!






Thursday, February 21, 2008

We Know We Could, We Know We Could

I started this blog with an ambition, or hope, that I would be blowing you all away with my dedication and prolificacy. Well, as it was, my blogging inclination turned out to be rarer than a lunar eclipse which incidentally took place last night. My dream was to regale you with whimsical details on every single product we get, art we discover, trip we take, person we meet, on anything, anything at all. But sadly, I wrote almost close to nothing on nothing. But, BUT, it is never too late, right? This year, although we are almost three months into it, I can still make good with my promise. IN fact, the FACT, that I am writing this blog entry is very encouraging, a step into a direction that I have been eyeing to take for three years now. So this year is the year. Hopefully.