When I asked Fern Chua, the founder of FERN what she would change if given the opportunity as her eponymous label celebrates its first decade, Chua asserted that even though there could be countless possibilities of how things might blossom into, “I’d like to think that everything has its time and place,” she concluded.
Chua has come a long way—especially as a self-taught batik maker—in paving the way for homegrown labels to flourish. Ten years ago, the sartorial landscape in our local scene was barely in its infancy stage where contemporary garment makers would look inwardly, exploring and acquiring the knowledge in our existing artisanship, and later—where we are today—embracing it fully with our heads held high.
Batik was, at one time, the synonym for either a dress code for formal social occasions or souvenirs for tourists. Its ubiquity in this side of the world and the cultural identity it carries appeal to Chua. The fabric entered her life with a new identity when she decided to create luxury resort wear with it. FERN became a medium for her to express her thoughts, feelings, and resilience, reflected in the precious ancient art that too, transcends over time.
How would you describe and introduce FERN?
We are a design house that celebrates and rediscovers the elegance of the ancient art form, batik, fusing it with modern resort wear designs.
How did FERN come about?
It all started with a car accident that changed my life. What started as a process for rehabilitation for my hands became an outlet for me to explore my creativity. Some may say it’s a blessing in disguise allowing me to pursue my dreams.
However, it was not an easy start since I knew very little about batik and fashion design to begin with. I persevered to learn the craft, studied pattern making, consulted the pioneers in the craft industry and eventually landed an opportunity to pitch my business idea to MyCreative Ventures. The rest is history.
Of all traditional crafts, what about batik appealed to you?
Batik has always been deeply rooted in many lives, shaping the heritage and culture of this country we call home. It tells a lot about our past and I would like to be a part of the “future” in preserving this craft. It is a beautiful traditional art form that deserves conservation, to be shared with future generations.
The human touch too, makes all the difference. You are creating one-of-a-kind pieces that can be produced sustainably, so I engage with a lot of local batik artisans, hoping that what we are doing preserves this craft and provides jobs for these talented skilled artisans.
You mentioned producing sustainably—what is your take on being a brand that champions being sustainable—is it challenging?
At FERN, sustainability has evolved into our fundamental mission. It wasn’t in my initial blueprint but during the pandemic, I realised it was always embedded in our brand’s DNA. The challenging time propelled us to fully utilise the leftover batik fabrics, repurposing them into accessories like face masks, aprons, and headbands—this marked the beginning of our zero-waste project.
This initiative significantly reduced production waste and helped me to recognize other sustainable practices we can adopt throughout the creating process, such as using only natural materials, producing in limited quantities, recycling and reducing waste, minimising plastics use, creating by demand and custom orders, and offering alteration services to extend the life of our pieces. Moreover, our commitment to fair remuneration and supporting local artisans ensures that we foster a thriving, equitable community. While we acknowledge that sustainability is an ongoing journey with room for growth, we are dedicated to enhancing our circular economy and exploring more ways to protect the environment.
What does the process of making look like? How do you decide what motifs to produce every season?
I get inspiration from places I travelled to, things that interest me, and how people move in their clothing. From there we set the ‘theme’ for that series (collection). We then proceed to study the raw materials, putting up an inspiration board while taking into consideration what is in trend.
We will then put our thoughts into the experiments with batik in our workshop—this is where the fun kicks in—the possibilities are infinite, and the results too, are fascinating to witness. Finally, the sampling process is where we apply all these beautiful batik fabrics to different silhouettes and see how these prints sway as the garment clings to the bodies. The process can be tedious and strenuous, but it never fails to fascinate and excite me.
What is your thought on the relationship between technological advancement in textiles and preserving the traditional craftsmanship of Batik?
Moving with modern times, I think it is fascinating to see what is possible with technological advancement that can be done for the textiles and fashion industry. But the complexity of the idea that each piece requires a human touch makes it all the difference creating unique and one-of-a-kind pieces that no two pieces are the same, thus making it exquisite and exclusive.
Of all the facets, which takes the utmost priority—something you will never compromise? Why?
Our brand identity and vision. I would never compromise in preserving our traditional heritage and craftsmanship. The idea of batik—all our pieces are hand painted and made by our local artisans—needs to be conserved.
Looking back, what was your biggest challenge?
Navigating the business through the pandemic and later, scaling the business especially since all the pieces are handcrafted—it’s challenging to expand.
Ten years in, what is one of the biggest mistakes you’ve made, and what have you learned from it?
One of the biggest mistakes I made in my fashion business was underestimating the importance of building a strong team from the outset. In the early stages, I tried to handle everything myself—from design to production, marketing to sales—believing that I could manage it all. However, as the business grew, it became clear that I didn’t have the expertise or bandwidth to manage every aspect effectively. It took such a long time to do so, but I feel very grateful to be able to form a good team over the years.
Any plans or projects you are working on currently?
We’re incredibly excited about what we have in store. While I can’t share all the details just yet, I can say that we’re working on some innovative projects that will elevate our brand in new and exciting ways. We’re exploring fresh design concepts, expanding into new markets, and collaborating with some amazing talents in the industry.
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