The kebaya is for everyone

Kebaya-maker of Emerald Hill series hopes people will embrace the iconic Peranakan garment

- Joanne Soh

Almost every kebaya you see on the hit local television drama Emerald Hill - The Little Nyonya Story was painstakingly embroidered by Mr Raymond Wong.

The veteran kebaya-maker was tasked to make more than 40 pieces of the traditional garment for the female cast members - and he had only 1½ months to work on them, with the help of his team of four.

The spin-off of the popular Mediacorp series The Little Nyonya (2008 to 2009) follows the ups and downs of a wealthy Chinese Peranakan family in 1950s to 1970s Singapore.

All the actresses portraying Peranakan characters don the sarong kebaya - a two-piece ensemble that includes a batik sarong or skirt, and a long-sleeved tunic that is the kebaya.

The 30-episode period drama is airing on Channel 8 and streaming on mewatch and Netflix.

Led by a trio of new "little Nyonyas" played by Singapore actresses Chantalle Ng, Tasha Low and Ferlyn Wong, Emerald Hill is one of the most-watched series in Singapore on Netflix. It also features established stars such as Zoe Tay, Jeanette Aw, Chen Liping, Jessecca Liu, Romeo Tan, Dawn Yeoh and Elvin Ng.

Since its March 10 premiere on Netflix, Mr Wong, 45, has received numerous requests from Low's fans, asking if the yellow kebaya with blue stripes the actress wore in the show is for sale.

"Alas, that particular kebaya set has been donated to the Peranakan Museum," says Mr Wong, who runs Rumah Kim Choo, a shop in East Coast Road dedicated to showcasing Peranakan culture.

Peranakan is a cultural identity that refers to a range of mixed heritage communities in South-east Asia, such as Arab Peranakans, Chinese Peranakans, Indian Peranakans (or Chetti Melakans) and Jawi Peranakans.

A Nonya refers to a Peranakan woman, while a Peranakan man is called a Baba.