Journal

Notes from the atelier

On craft, cloth and the quiet ceremony of dressing well — written between fittings in Kuala Lumpur.

Tonal lace cutwork and floral eyelets on a mauve silk kurung

Craft · 18 July 2026

The Language of Sulam Kerawang

Cutwork embroidery arrived on the east coast of the peninsula centuries ago, and it has been speaking quietly ever since. On the motifs, the patience, and the women who keep the language alive.

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Teal silk kurung with gold songket-inspired patterning and jewelled hem

Heritage · 2 June 2026

From Songket to Silk: Textiles of the Archipelago

Gold thread on a backstrap loom, wax drawn with a canting, silk that falls like water. A short note on the Malaysian textiles that shape every Damak Ilham collection.

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Taupe silk kurung with gold embroidery during a studio fitting

Atelier · 12 May 2026

Inside the Atelier: A Fitting, Hour by Hour

What actually happens when you come in for a fitting — the pins, the quiet, the small adjustments that make a piece yours.

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