The duo, more popularly known as Nellie Pop and Jee, now design and sew batik outfits for casual wear and formal wear as well as accessories like hair bands, lanyards, bags, bow ties and face masks.
Launching their brand in November 2020, the duo told FMT that the idea for Batik by Nell was hatched during the pandemic when their main source of income was jeopardised.
“My father works in the aviation industry and like many others, his job was badly affected by the pandemic. So, my mother and I immediately went into survival mode, combining forces to find the best way to help,” Jee explained.
She said that besides volunteering to sew PPE gowns during the first lockdown, her mother also created tutorials so others could make their own mask extenders and fabric masks when these were short in supply.
“Seeing as there was a high demand for masks at the time, we decided to start selling our batik masks on a small scale to friends and family in July 2020.”
With the encouragement of her friends, she started an Instagram page to showcase their work and she is glad she did as the duo were able to officially open for business in November that year.
Jee related how her mother learned how to sew from her grandmother, and that when she was just 10 years old, she sewed a dress for her favourite doll, Loretta.
She continued to sew throughout her teenage years and later enrolled in the International Fashion Centre where she learned dressmaking and fashion design.
Before long, Jee found herself bitten by the sewing bug too. “Sewing came very naturally to me and I continue to learn every day from my mother,” she said.
Growing up, Jee said she recalled seeing her mother always at the sewing machine, creating everything from school bags and pencil cases to elaborate dresses, costumes and gowns.
“I would always don anything she made for me, beaming from ear to ear ready to tell anyone within earshot, ‘My mummy made this’,” she laughed, adding that even years later that sense of pride still remains, and she loves to show off her mother’s handiwork.
“My dream is that one day my mother and I will be able to make my wedding dress together,” Jee shared.
Since Jee and Nellie Pop handle all orders by themselves, it typically takes around five weeks from design to finished product.
“We are never sitting idly or as Nellie Pop would say ‘goyang kaki’, and we do work around the clock, so we really appreciate having such loving customers who understand why orders take a little longer.”
Though they have considered setting up a website, Jee and her mother prefer when customers make their orders via WhatsApp chat.
“We like the personal touch of letting our customers know that they can request for anything they like,” Jee explained, adding that customers are encouraged to share as many details about themselves as possible.
“We love when we receive more details. For example, if they’d like to wear a blouse for work, we’d make it with a slightly higher neckline to be more conservative or if they tell us they have droopy shoulders, we’d add certain modifications to prevent the straps from falling down.”
Both women believe clothes should be made to fit bodies, not the other way around. “Fast fashion is usually catered to a specific body type, which is unrealistic since everyone has different proportions,” Jee shared.
Inspired by her mother’s work, Jee hopes to one day take over the business and continue her mother’s legacy.
“Nellie Pop never fails to remind me on a weekly basis that she’s itching to retire. Though we both laugh, knowing that will never happen, as she has really itchy fingers and will probably be sewing for as long as she can.”
Check out Batik by Nell on Instagram and place your orders through WhatsApp by texting 019-2834868.