KUALA LUMPUR: Baju Melayu, a traditional outfit for men has remained in Malay societies for hundreds of years, whether as a formal outfit or to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
As time passes, many companies have showcased their brands featuring many designs for customers to choose from.
Among the various brands, many may not know of a boutique that has existed for over 90 years and even caught the eye of our first prime minister.
The 'Omar Ali' boutique was established in 1935 by a man with the same name who used to be an apprentice for a Japanese woman who specialises in creating women's ballroom gowns, especially for the wives of British expatriates living in the country back then.
As World War 2 loomed, the Japanese seamstress had to leave the country and return to Japan.
Consequently, before she departed for home, she had bestowed Omar with her tailoring business and had already imparted her tailoring skills to him during his apprenticeship.
As the war continued with expatriates leaving Malaya in droves, demand for ballroom gowns had dwindled completely.
X user @adibhazlami further explained the history behind Omar's boutique which has been passed down four generations.
"Omar did not give up and decided to open his shop in 1935 by selling a craft that he had mastered, Baju Melayu.
"He opened his first shop within the Masjid India enclave, and later moved to the Malay Bazaar and successfully built a reputation as a maker of good quality Baju Melayu."
Further checks by the New Straits Times revealed that in the 1970s, Omar pioneered the practice of making ready-made Baju Melayu available in set sizes such as small, medium and large.
Previously, customers custom-made these traditional outfits as such attire was not readily available off-the-rack.
Amongst Omar's loyal customers was our first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-haj.
"As a maker of bespoke Baju Melayu, he fulfilled Tunku Abdul Rahman's request to modify the traditional five-button Baju Melayu into a three-button version with a Mandarin collar.
"The design was dubbed the 'Tunku Collar' or three-button Baju Melayu."
Meanwhile, netizens expressed their admiration towards Omar's work which they described as magnificent.
"His tailoring is definitely beautiful. I went to their boutique. Good thing my brother didn't have his size or I would've swiped it.
"This is coming from the young generation who didn't like to wear Baju Melayu. Good job Omar Ali," says user @dr_dla.
"Our family's favourite brand. Good quality, long-lasting, and neat stitching. We like this brand it maintains the authentic Baju Melayu (image)," says user @haizascsr.