Inkaa is the brainchild of Muizz Aziz and his Belgian business partner Ludovic Vankerkove. Launched in 2019, the brand aims to promote the work of grassroots and organisations, and properly recognise their dedication to their craft.

Muizz was born in Terengganu to a family of batik makers, which is why it is important to him that the enterprise engages with communities similar to those he grew up with, and makes sure they are treated fairly.

“There is a lot of exploitation out there,” he tells FMT at Inkaa’s headquarters in the historic Zhongshan Building, a former apartment block turned arts and research hub. “You have these people who have dedicated years to their craft, yet they get paid way below minimum wage by certain brands or sellers.

“It’s important to pay people what they’re worth, something respectable,” he says. To that end, Inkaa remunerates those it works with for each item they produce, factoring in the time they put into their efforts – “usually around RM15 an hour”.

Each product sold at the boutique comes with a list of the artisans who worked on it. Customers can then visit Inkaa’s website to find their stories and learn more about them.

Muizz shares that for its mengkuang products, Inkaa engages a group of all-female weavers in Terengganu who dye all the fibres themselves. The brand also works with artists from the state who hand-dye batik fabrics using traditional techniques.

“There are also differently abled youths from Wakaf Tapai there, as well as Chin refugee women from the Mang Tha programme in Kuala Lumpur. We go in and provide education so they can work with us in making our products.”

Sustainability and synthetics

Sustainability has been in the brand’s DNA from the beginning; even its earliest collections employed recycled fabrics adorned with traditional batik designs.

And now, Inkaa is looking to take things a step further with the use of natural dyes in its upcoming collection.

“With synthetic dyes, you might only have to dip the fabric in the dye bath once to get the shade you want. But with natural dyes, the colour is always faint, so to get richer tones you need to dip and dry over and over,” Muizz explains.

“It’s an expensive process because it’s so much more time-intensive, but we think it’s worth it.”

Inkaa uses by-products and materials sourced and upcycled from other enterprises. For example, yellow for the dyes is derived from discarded pomegranate skins from Salad Atelier, while browns come from wood shavings collected from a local firewood producer.

All fabrics come from linens donated by the Four Seasons Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, and canvas accents are discarded banners from the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre.

Muizz adds that they still plan on offering products with traditional dyes to ensure there is a more affordable option, and to avoid excluding artisans who are used to working with synthetics.

He further reveals that the brand is exploring a new visual language with its latest collection, deviating from its previous traditional approach.

One of the new collection’s more striking designs feature abstract depictions of the craftspeople the brand works with.

“At first, the block maker was taken aback when we asked whether he could make these designs, but he ended up being really excited about the challenge,” Muizz shares.

Play on words

While words are not typically used with batik, Inkaa is releasing a line with “resist” printed all over.

“It’s a play on words. Batik uses a technique where wax is placed on areas to resist the dye and you melt it away later.

“But we also feel we have a role as social activists in some ways, to speak up for underserved communities who have been treated unfairly.”

Muizz hopes this new collection will help carve out a new identity for the brand, with unique designs that appeal to younger and more adventurous tastes.

The bare minimum

Inkaa has been called a social enterprise, and Muizz says he understands the label but sometimes wishes it wasn’t the case.

“We’re always grateful when people buy our products to support our causes and help the communities we work with, but this shouldn’t be seen as something remarkable,” he says.

“Paying people fairly, using sustainable materials… these things should be the norm, the bare minimum.

“We’re very proud that we’ve been able to do things the way we do, but this should be how all brands operate.”

To learn more about Inkaa’s products, click here. For updates on its upcoming collection, visit its Instagram profile.