GAHARA. RESET. REBORN
Gahara is a leading premium batik textile producer in Malaysia under the label Ruzzgahara specialising in block printing and known for its unique techniques ranging from tie-dye to shibori. Established in 2007, each piece is an original artwork sold by the meter, produced by local artisans from Kelantan, and has graced international runways from Bangkok, Budapest to Frankfurt. Its production and creative hub is in Kota Bharu, Kelantan known as Rumah Gahara. In Kuala Lumpur, Gahara is based at the BoutiqueCafe, located at the National Textile Museum.
In Q1 2020 the Artists’ Residence, a curated art-tourism and homestay programme for art lovers was launched at Rumah Gahara, Kota Bharu. In Q2 2020, Gahara will unveil its second label, GaharaLabel, its ready-to-wear collection and interior range that will be available online.
What makes Gahara batik unique is the process of incorporating many artisans in the production of a single piece. From design, block, textile to tailoring, it literally takes a village to produce a piece of Gahara fabric. This not only provides employment opportunities, but also helps to continue the artistry of Kelantanese arts and crafts, and to retain a sense of cultural and ancestral pride without losing to digital printmaking. As a result, a Gahara piece is a form of high resistant art featuring a unique communal narrative of the livelihood of the artists, its location, the motifs and social identity. This determines the price of a piece of Gahara fabric, and its exclusivity namely for the Ruzzgahara range (RG). As a principle and tribute to its complex artistry, the RG range cannot be sold online but can be found at the BoutiqueCafe at the National Textile Museum, located in Kuala Lumpur. Gahara Label, its sister brand carries the contemporary pret-a-porter range at a lower price and is available via online purchasing.
