KUALA LUMPUR: After five near misses, fashion designer Badrul Hisham Mahadi, 27, finally emerged victorious in the Piala Seri Endon batik design competition fashion category, beating 11 others to win the award.
“My hard work paid off. This award will signify a new chapter in my career,” said Badrul Hisham, who is a fashion and textile design graduate from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
He said the inspiration for his design, titled “Future Classic”, came from traditional webbing.
The 12th Piala Seri Endon Batik Design Competition, held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre yesterday, saw three categories contested: fashion, soft furnishing and handicraft.
It was graced by Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Hajah Haminah Hamidun, who presented awards to the winners.
The queen was accompanied by Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia chairman Nori Abdullah and the foundation’s chief executive officer, Datuk Leela Mohd Ali.
The runner-up spot in the fashion category went to Mohd Faizul Noorizan with his design “Glorious Palma”. The third place went to Liaw Kok Min and Ang Pek Si with their creation, “Manipulation”.
In the soft furnishing category, the team “Four Three Two”, comprising Zainab Anuar, Hamdan Lias and Ahmad Fikry Alias emerged victorious while the handicraft category was won by Zurainah Umor.
The winner in each category received RM30,000. The runner-up received RM10,000 while third-placed winners were awarded RM5,000. There were five consolation prizes of RM1,000 for each category.
Also present were former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his wife Tun Jeanne Abdullah.