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I have always been fascinated by batik and how the piece of cloth, associated with tradition, can be transformed into gifts. The thing about batik is that you have to always check for authenticity. In an ideal world, I would like to have the opportunity to view, touch and feel the product(s) before making a decision. But of course, on the back of this prolonged situation that has made many adapt and stay home, it means that physically going out to have a look at gifts, especially batik gifts, is not the most feasible option.

So when I was asked to help hunt for batik gifts online for a certain Japanese family, at first, I went ‘Adoi, how do I even know if this is original, Malaysian batik?’ Note that this particular Japanese family has received batik gifts from us before. Plus, you should know that I’m the type of person who is wary of creating all these “new user” accounts. As much as I would have liked to search elsewhere, I decided to look up a popular e-commerce platform. A few minutes later, I found two online stores, one of which was Coast Handmade.  You can tell by browsing through the products that they are of high quality. Prices range from RM12 to slightly over a few hundred Ringgit. How I wish the prices could be brought down a tiny bit. But I guess with the very intricate printing and stamping techniques involved, you’d have to give in. Perhaps, it’s also one way of making you carefully consider your purchases. I ended up buying two pieces of handkerchiefs at RM20 each. You can choose from at least four handkerchief designs.

Other gifts I found striking include the kain pelikat, table runner, as well as the multifunctional tablecloth that can also be used as a layer for when you’re at the beach.

Founded and owned by a Malaysian and an Australian, you’ll be tempted to get quality batik gifts that are not only colourful but also functional.

Now, to wait until my local postal service resumes international mail services, so that the gifts can be sent over to Japan.