Designer introduces Sashiko to Sabahans; eyes world stage

Published on: Sunday, January 07, 2024

By: Winnie Kasmir

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Hemp Leaf (‘Asanoha’) pattern is one of the more difficult patterns and takes a while to finish.

EVEN though men are now also into sewing, not many are willing to make Sashiko a source of income due to limited enthusiasts.

That did not deter a 21-year-old Muhamad Aiman from making Sashiko art better known.

His passion for Sashiko began when he found a shirt full of interesting sewing patterns in a thrift shop seven years ago.

“After buying the shirt, I then eagerly searched for more information on the shirt’s sewing patterns and later found out it was Sashiko

“From that moment, I was inspired to further learn about Sashiko after seeing several major brands produce items based on Sashiko art at very high prices,” said the Sandakan lad.

Sashiko, or sash(i)ko, as the ‘i’ is barely pronounced, originated about 400 years ago during the Japanese ‘Edo Period’. In Japanese, its name means “little stabs”, which denotes the running stitch that defines the sewing technique.

The self-taught tailor said although he had mastered dozens Sashiko patterns, he still needed to learn more as there were thousands of patterns.

Muhamad Aiman said the art of Sashiko was barely known years ago, not only in Malaysia but also in Sabah, but he often displays his Sashiko work on social media platforms, thus being able to attract not only local but also overseas fans.

Muhamad Aiman showcasing his jacket with Sashiko patterns.

He started to stitch at 14 years old, and worked a lot on producing Sashiko on his own clothes before receiving orders from customers.

“The prices were determined based on patterns and usually completed within one to seven days. Material such as threads were imported from Japan and China.

Customers may request Sashiko on their shirts, jackets, pants, shoes and even bags,” he said.

Among his customers were Malaysian celebrities Joey Daud and Zainal Rashid Ahmad and some were from Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Hong Kong.

Muhamad Aiman was also offered by Uniqlo Japan to showcase his products through the Uniqlo Japan magazine and Instagram in 2017.

Believing that he is still young and needs to learn more, Muhammad Aiman hoped to have his own studio in the near future where he can create his own Sashiko techniques and showcase them to the public.

“My dream is that one day my own brand will be able to penetrate the market outside of Malaysia and collaborate with some famous foreign fashion designers, such as Junya Watanabe and others. In addition, I also intend to open a sewing class for young people, especially in Sandakan itself, due to the lack of job opportunities, so that there is another platform for them to generate income,” he said.