Thomas Tan
Miss Universe Malaysia 2019 Shweta Sekhon, 22, unveiled the eye-catching Peranakan-themed national costume and evening gown at a special media preview held at Vogue Lounge, Bangsar South on 12 Nov 2019.
Shweta will be wearing the outfits designed by Malaysian fashion designer Carven Ong on the world stage at the upcoming 68th Miss Universe competition taking place in Atlanta, Georgia, USA on Dec 8.
Ong paid tribute to Malaysia’s rich cultural influences from the Malay, Chinese and Peranakan (Straits-Born Chinese) community with his choice of materials and elements for the ‘A Peranakan Indulgence’ national costume, while the golden caramel evening gown was inspired by the sandy beaches of Malaysia.
Ong spent three months creating the elaborate national costume by combining the elements of the Malay, Chinese and Peranakan culture.
The main body of the dress is made of songket (a luxurious brocade commonly used in Malay wedding attires) and embroidered with elaborate beadwork while the wings feature Nyonya batik, a fabric favoured by Peranakan women and commonly used as sarongs (a long strip of cloth wrapped around the body like a skirt).
A golden cape made of songket with gold thread and red beadings add a touch of ceremonial grandeur to the costume, which was inspired by the traditional wedding costume worn by Peranakan brides, symbolising the union of Yin and Yang.
The Nyonya batik-clad wings represent the tails of a goldfish to symbolise an abundance of wealth and prosperity. For the headgear, gold aster flowers were chosen to represent love, daintiness and femininity to bring out the wearer’s inner beauty.
Surrounding the costume are an assortment of local kuih (cakes) of both Malay and Peranakan origins like onde-onde, kuih koci, ang ku, kuih talam, kuih lapis, kuih sago and red eggs, complete with a bakul siah (traditional Nyonya basket).
Ong said, “They were many challenges in creating the national costume, Overall I am pleased with the final outcome, and it fills me with great pride to be given the opportunity to create something unique to symbolise the beauty of my country and introduce our multi-cultural heritage to the world.”
For the evening gown, Ong chose a golden caramel hue to represent the fine grains of sand found on Malaysian beaches, embellished with real sea shell beads in a variety of shapes, shades and sizes, and completed with a mermaid’s fin silhouette on both sides.
The national costume and evening gown for Miss Universe Malaysia 2019 are sponsored by Wescara, in partnership with Carven Ong Couture.
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