KUCHING: "I was a little shy back then when I first started weaving keringkam, as most of the weavers were women.
"(But) because of my love for this intricate handicraft of Sarawak Malays, I was able to keep myself going.
"Today, I am proud to be among a handful of keringkam weavers who are left to continue to work the looms," said Amirul Shazlie Yusuf, one of the few male keringkam weavers and entrepreneurs here.
The 33-year-old said his interest in keringkam started when he was young, as he used to follow his mother Siteh Mandak, who was a bridal makeup artist, to work.
"I was fascinated with the selayah keringkam (veil) or selendang keringkam (shawl) worn by the brides which was handcrafted with fine embroidery work using gold (or sometimes silver) threads.
"Back then, I could not figure out why it was expensive. Only after seeing how it was made, did I understand how much effort and care were put into producing just one selayah or selendang keringkam," he said when met at his family's house in Kampung Tupong Hulu recently.
Amirul said due to his interest in the luxury textile, he decided to learn more about keringkam by attending workshops as well as one-on-one classes conducted by veteran weavers.
It took him almost a year to master the techniques of keringkam weaving.
"At that time, I had no intention of weaving keringkam for business. However, people became interested in my artworks and started placing orders.
"Since then, I have not looked back," said Amirul, who started to be actively involved with keringkam in 2014.
Amirul said it takes between one and six months to produce a selayah or selendang keringkam, depending on the motifs.
He said the embroidery of keringkam motifs are usually of flowers and plants such as mountain ranges, bamboo shoots, beans, clove, creeping roses, orchids, and jasmine, while the fabric used is rubia fabric (kasa rubia).
Amirul said to produce a piece requires patience and deep concentration, therefore he usually weaves it at night.
"We (keringkam makers) do not draw patterns on the fabric. Instead, we count the thread veins before starting with the embroidery process with gold or silver threads," he said, adding that the threads, which are finely cut silver or gold foil, were imported directly from Turkey.
As for the price, Amirul said it can range between RM3,000 and RM30,000 per piece, depending on the motifs, along with the material cost and time spent to weave the piece.
Amirul acknowledged that due to its high price, not many people can afford to own a keringkam scarf.
"But, some people are willing to spend to own a piece, which can last for generations and can be a family heirloom," he said.
He advised customers to place their bookings at least three months in advance before their event, and for those who require more intricate and elaborate motifs, the period can be longer.
He said the usual fabric colours used are deep colour tones namely deep red and black, while occasionally there will be requests for pastel colours.
In the past, selayah or selendang keringkam were widely used by Malay noble women.
"Keringkam has also a significant influence on Sarawak's Malay culture.
"In an old tradition of Malay wedding here called 'tikar ngambik pengantin', the bride would send a keringkam and a mengkuang mat to the groom's house.
"This is a signal that the bride is ready to welcome the groom's entourage," he said, adding that it also symbolises the status of a woman.
Talking about the future of keringkam, Amirul said he was hopeful that more youngsters will come forward and show their interest, thus preserving one of Sarawak's cultural heritage.
"I believe that it is important to pass down the art of keringkam to the future generations, as there are only a few weavers left. This heritage must be preserved at all cost."