Buying Kelantan Batik in Kota Bharu: A Visitor's Guide

Most visitors to Kota Bharu, the capital of Kelantan on Malaysia's east coast, want to take home a piece of batik. Batik is cloth patterned by drawing or stamping hot wax onto it before dyeing: the wax keeps the dye out, and the pattern stays in the cloth's original colour. The questions we hear at the counter are nearly always the same: where to buy, how to know it is real batik, which size fits, and how to pack it. This guide answers them from D'Rose Batik, a shop that has traded at Bazar Buluh Kubu since 2001.

What Bazar Buluh Kubu is

Bazar Buluh Kubu is a market building in the centre of Kota Bharu, near the Siti Khadijah central market. Its shops sell batik, songket (woven cloth with metallic thread), headscarves and handicrafts, so you can compare many sellers in one visit without moving on.

D'Rose Batik is at Lots 1-39 and 1-40 on the first floor. The shop opens Saturday to Thursday, 10:30 am to 6:00 pm, and is closed on Friday. If you are only in town for a weekend, plan your visit for Saturday.

How to tell batik tulis, batik cap and printed cloth apart

Three kinds of cloth are sold as "batik". Batik tulis (hand-drawn batik) is drawn with a canting, a small pen with a reservoir of hot wax. The line thickness varies and the pattern never repeats exactly. Batik cap (block batik) uses a metal block, usually copper, dipped in wax and pressed onto the cloth. The pattern repeats at regular intervals, one block's width apart.

Printed cloth has a batik-style pattern printed by machine with no wax at all. The quickest test is to turn the cloth over. In batik tulis and batik cap, wax and dye go through the fabric, so the pattern looks almost as clear on the back as on the front. On printed cloth the back is usually paler.

The shop's current price range is about RM 35 to RM 120 for batik cap and RM 150 to RM 800 for batik tulis. Most of that gap is working time, because batik tulis is drawn line by line. D'Rose also works to one rule, "satu rekaan, satu pemilik", meaning one design, one owner: each pattern is sold once, so nobody else will own the cloth you choose.

Fabric lengths or ready-to-wear

Fabric by the length suits buyers who have a tailor at home. D'Rose sells two lengths:

• 2.5 metres in cotton satin and crepe silk, enough for one man's shirt.
• 4 metres in cotton, crepe and satin silk, the usual length for a baju kurung, the Malay long tunic and skirt set.

If you would rather wear it straight away, the shop has men's shirts, baju kurung, kaftans, jubah (long robes), abaya and telekung (prayer garments).

Sizes for overseas buyers

D'Rose men's cotton shirts come in SS to 5XL with long sleeves, and XS to 4XL with short sleeves. Letter sizes differ between countries, so do not rely on the label alone. Ask the staff to measure the chest width and length of the shirt you like, then compare it with a shirt you already wear. You can also try it on in the shop.

If you are back at your hotel and still unsure, send a photo of the shirt and your question on WhatsApp to +60 12-679 7137.

How to carry batik fabric home

Batik cloth is light and travels well. A 2.5 m or 4 m length folds flat and slips between clothes in a suitcase. A few steps help:

• Keep the shop's original folds. A new crease pressed into silk for days can leave a mark.
• Keep the cloth in the shop bag, away from shoes and liquid bottles.
• Do not pack cloth that is still damp in a closed bag for long.
• A bottle of batik wash larger than the cabin liquid limit has to go in checked luggage.

Once home, wash new cloth or clothing on its own in cold water the first time, because fresh dye can run a little. D'Rose sells its own batik wash in two sizes for this.

Shipping is within Malaysia only for now

D'Rose Batik delivers to addresses in Malaysia only. Overseas shipping is not offered yet. If you live abroad, buy in person at the shop, or have an order sent to family or a friend in Malaysia who can bring it to you later.

How to buy or ask

Visit the shop at Bazar Buluh Kubu, or message +60 12-679 7137 on WhatsApp with a photo of the pattern you are after. To see the range before you come, browse our batik catalogue.