This landmark recognition, jointly submitted by Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand, marked a regional effort to safeguard and celebrate a garment that has been worn by Southeast Asian women for centuries.

“The kebaya is an iconic fashion piece, worn by a quarter of a billion women in this part of the world,” said Cedric Tan, a sixth-generation Peranakan and expert who contributed to Malaysia’s Unesco nomination.

Tan has spent decades studying, preserving and promoting the kebaya. His passion was seeded in childhood: “I had the opportunity to see my grandmother wear her kebaya every day until she passed away, whether it was the embroidered version or just the home version.”

He shared that his foray into promoting the garment began in secondary school, when he had been involved in curating a fashion show featuring pieces from different time periods.

In the early 2000s, he worked closely with the late Endon Mahmood, wife of former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. “She was very passionate about Nyonya kebaya, and I helped to catalogue 100 pieces of her attire,” Tan shared.

Over the years, he curated kebaya exhibitions at the National Art Gallery and even in Singapore. In 2022, the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Peranakan Association tapped him to be part of Malaysia’s kebaya submission to Unesco

“To me, that was indeed an honour,” Tan said.

To understand the kebaya, Tan highlighted its three defining characteristics: it is open-fronted, features additional lapels in the front, and includes a gusset, or “kekek” in Malay, under the armpit to allow free arm movement.

But contrary to popular belief, the kebaya did not originate in Malaysia. “One thing’s for sure, the kebaya was never a native attire. It was a hybrid attire,” he noted.

“Some believe it came via Muslim traders, while another school of thought traces it back to the arrival of the Portuguese.”

Originally, he said, the kebaya had been a long garment – until the turn of the 20th century in Indonesia.

“When the Dutch government in Indonesia allowed Peranakan women to wear the kebaya, it meant their social status was raised to that of Dutch women. That triggered a switch to the shorter kebaya, which soon became all the rage.”

According to Tan, the kebaya can be made from various fabrics, including local spun cotton, pelikat from India, or Chinese silks. When it comes to embroidery, the kebaya serves as a canvas, often featuring a wide range of cultural motifs.

Indeed, the garment remains deeply rooted in cultural identity: “Until today, when Peranakan women go to a cultural event or celebration, they most likely wear a kebaya.”

Tan, who owns a personal collection of heirloom kebaya outfits, proudly showed some of the more rare pieces: a vintage kebaya panjang over 100 years old; another featuring embroidered squirrels, with tiny floral cut-outs along the edges; a scalloped-border kebaya; and even a white one worn for mourning.

Besides the iconic Nyonya kebaya, there’s also “kebaya setengah tiang” from Negeri Sembilan, and “kebaya labuh”, popular among Malays.

Looking forward, Tan is concerned about the legacy of the garment. “Most of the embroiderers we have today are at least 40 years old. If we do not train younger ones, there will definitely be a dearth in the future.”

As for modern interpretations of the kebaya, Tan welcomes them with caution. “Some people may disagree, but when we talk about the promotion of a traditional attire, then we need to hold fast to the traditional look,” he said.

Still, Tan accepts that for more informal events, it’s fine to wear the kebaya casually, treating it like an overcoat with jeans or a plain skirt.

“I feel that we should give modern folks an opportunity to appreciate the kebaya on their own terms first,” he added.