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KUALA LUMPUR: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor called on all private and government-linked companies (GLCs) to encourage their staff to wear batik on Thursdays.

Rosmah, who is wife of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, said the wearing of batik by civil servants on every Thursday had helped increase the sales of and demand for batik.

“Right now, there are 462 GLCs with almost 100,000 employees. Just imagine how big the demand for batik will be,” she said when opening the National Craft day 2016 at Kompleks Kraf Kuala Lumpur in Jalan Conlay here.

Rosmah also praised the initiative taken by the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation (Kraftangan) in controlling the quality of batik production through the introduction of Standard Malaysia MS692:2007, hence making batik the most popular craft among locals and foreigners.

So far, she said 51 batik entrepreneurs had received recognitions for batik quality and for adhering to the stipulated standards.

Rosmah also called on craft entrepreneurs to improve their marketing strategy by promoting their products in cyber space using smart technology and online sale platforms such as Zalora, Lazada, Fashion Valet and MySale.

“Right now, consumers are more keen on having everything at their fingertips, including online shopping or online purchasing,” she said, adding that she had also helped promote batik and songket in fashion cities like Paris and Milan, including at the World Expo.

Earlier, Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the ministry had targeted sales of RM25mil during the 12-day National Craft Day celebration.

He said the target was achievable as sales of RM20.3mil was recorded last year, with clay-based craft became the biggest contributor with sales of RM8.7mil.

Themed ‘Native to Creative’, the National Craft Day 2016 sees the participation of 500 entrepreneurs, including from France, Russia, Belgium, the United States and Pakistan.

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/02/25/rosmah-mansor-urges-glc-private-firms-staff-to-wear-batik-thursday/