Why Maimunah Yaacob Stitches Johor’s Identity Into Every Design

JOHOR BAHRU: With each careful stroke of hot wax, Maimunah Yaacob is doing more than creating batik - she is weaving Johor's identity into every piece of fabric.

Inside her modest workshop in Tanjung Sedili here, intricate patterns inspired by the state's heritage and natural landscape gradually emerge on stretched cloth.

Black pepper, berembang fruit and the gambus - a traditional stringed instrument closely associated with Johor - are just some of the motifs that set her creations apart from more familiar batik designs.

Patiently guiding the canting across the fabric before adding vibrant colours, the 58-year-old hopes her work will one day become instantly recognisable as Johor batik.

"I want people to see motifs like black pepper, gambier or the gambus and immediately know it's Johor batik," she told FMT at her workshop beside her home in Kota Tinggi.

"People can easily recognise Indonesian batik or batik from the East Coast. I want Johor batik to have its own identity, too. That's what would make me happiest."

Each design, she explained, reflects a different corner of Johor. The berembang fruit pays tribute to Muar, while coral formations found in the waters off Kota Tinggi have also found their way into her creations.

The idea of producing distinctly Johorean batik came to her in 2022 during National Craft Day in Kuala Lumpur, after an unexpected encounter with Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.

"Her Majesty walked past my booth at first, so I called out, 'Johor... Johor!' She turned back and asked, 'Where is this Johor batik you mentioned?'

"That was the moment it struck me. I wanted to create batik inspired by everything that makes Johor unique."

This idea has since become the hallmark of her work.

Maimunah's journey with batik began more than 30 years ago when she attended a skills training course in Terengganu under a development programme for the children of fishermen.

She later spent two years honing her craft at the Johor branch of the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation before striking out on her own.

Armed with just RM2,000 in savings and a single fabric frame at her parents' home, she launched her batik business in 1995.

Today, Ranorm Batik Creation produces custom-made batik clothing throughout the year while welcoming members of the public, including schoolchildren, to learn the art of batik-making through hands-on workshops.

For Maimunah, however, the journey is bittersweet. She lost her husband last year - the person she describes as her greatest supporter throughout the three decades she spent building the business.

Nevertheless, she remains determined to ensure her work lives on and is now guiding her second child to take over the craft - hoping Johor's own distinctive batik tradition will continue to flourish for generations to come.