Finally, Malaysia has revealed the outfits their Olympic athletes shall don at the opening ceremony of the Paris Games tomorrow. Looks like Malaysians would now be proud

After the very public outcry of the “burok (ugly)” Olympics uniforms that the Malaysian athletes were given to wear in June, Olympics chef de mission Hamidin Mohd Amin said early this month that, for the opening ceremony tomorrow (Paris time), Malaysia’s hottest design duo Rizman Nordin and Ruzaini Wan Jamili would be responsible for creating “baju Melayu themed” sets for the atlits. An hour ago, images of the bajus worn by models—not on mannequins as before—were shared on the Rizman Ruzaini Instagram page. In a reel also posted on IG, the designers were seen posing with the models. The looks they offered are in keeping with traditional Malay wear, which could finally boost the nationalistic fervour that did not meet the first reveal. This time, “cantik (beautiful)” has been the recurrent word choice in the comments that followed the IG posts.

Interestingly, Mr Nordin and Mr Wan Jamili, whose one dress for Naomi Campbell was featured in a Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition about the model, chose to keep the pieces somewhat tradisional and simple, as opposed to their usually more ornamental designs. What is also fascinating is that the duo picked a monochrome theme that is not tethered to the national colours. From the images, the clothes appear to be in an unsummery shade of olive although it has been described as “gold-hued”. The women’s baju kurung—worn with the kain kelubung (or a sarong-like piece slipped diagonally across the body and can be used to cover the head in place of a tudung [head scarf])—and the men’s telok belanga-style (collarless) baju Melayu (including the sampin [short sarong worn over the trousers]) are patterned, tone-on-tone, with motifs typical of the songket, Malaysia’s own brocade. The ensembles are distinguished by their neat finish and the body-skimming silhouettes, a total antithesis to those by trending label Behati.

According to Rizman Ruzaini, the designs are themed “The Malaya”, which, to us, rings of the pre-independence era of the peninsula. But as Malaysians continue to wear the baju Melayu, there is no discernible retro vibe in the Olympic wear. But, former youth and sports deputy minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal was quoted by Malaysiankini to have opined that they “had more of a Hari Raya vibe”. Mr Wan Jamil said via a statement released to the media that what he and Mr Nordin have designed “demonstrates how fashion unites all races in a peaceful and united country like Malaysia.” He added: “We have a rich history, and we want it to continue as a beautiful unification for all ethnicities.” He did not say how a distinctly Malay dress could achieve that. Netizens who have been waiting for the reveal of the new set of uniforms mostly approve of them. It is not clear why the bajus were shared just a day before the opening ceremony. Some noted: if the clothes were only completed recently, they could not have left with the athletes, who departed for Paris last week. One of our Malaysian contributors quipped: “DHL, lah!”

Photo: Rizman Ruzaini