Sharon Yuen

Made for Client — Nyonya Kebaya Set

Heritage craftsmanship shaped with graceful proportion, delicate structure and ease of movement.

Brief

Sharon attended Adam’s made-to-measure event in Singapore, where she browsed through the design presentation and selected the Nyonya Kebaya Set for her Chinese New Year Chor 1 celebration in 2024.

She was drawn to the one-sided drop-shoulder detail — a modern gesture that brought softness and individuality to a traditional silhouette. The brief was to create a remodernised Nyonya Kebaya Set that carried the spirit of heritage dressing, while feeling elegant, current and personal to her.

Solution

After studying Sharon’s complexion, preferences and the way she responded to the design, Adam recommended refining the piece with French lace and freshwater pearl buttons for the top. These details brought a softer, more delicate finish to the garment, allowing the kebaya to feel graceful without becoming overly traditional.

For the batik, a traditional block-stamped textile from Terengganu, Malaysia was selected. Its cultural character brought depth and authenticity to the set, while the lace and pearl details introduced a quieter modern elegance.

The final set was designed to be worn together as a complete look, while also allowing each piece to be styled separately with different tops and bottoms. This gave the garment greater wardrobe value — not only as a Chinese New Year piece, but as a set that could continue to move across different occasions.