The dizzying wheel of the sewing machine spins rapidly, Heath’s foot continues to push down on the pedal. The needle pokes and jabs into the soft fabric, and with each swift jab, a thin thread follows along with the pencil marks he had drawn slowly forming a beautifully embroidered Hibiscus flower on the once blank fabric. The blazing orange closer to the middle of the Hibiscus has a stark contrast to the muted green used for the main blouse. Finally, Heath has completed one of the many flowers that will be on what many see as a piece of cloth but to Heath, a blank canvas.

 

According to Harper’s Bazaar, Heath Yeo is one of the remaining two Kebaya makers in Singapore. A Fashion Design graduate from LaSalle College of the Arts. He worked with various fashion designers and brands before he completely fell in love with the ageing art of traditional embroidery and Kebayas.

 

“After you graduate from fashion designing and get exposed to different types of application. For us as designers, to hone our skills, one of the best methods is embroidery. After realising that embroidering with treadle sewing machines is a skill not many people have, I fell in love with it even more. I discovered more and more about the machine, eventually learning how to operate the whole thing manually. So even if there is no electricity left in the world. I can still sew with a candle by my side.”

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Baba Eugene, an 8th generation Peranakan Chinese and a docent with the Friends of the Museums and the NUS Baba House spoke fondly of Heath. “Heath is an amazing guy who is passionate about his art form and keeping the Peranakan culture and heritage alive is important to him as an artist who 'paints with needles'. Heath once brought his sewing machine to the Peranakan Museum just to show the docent research team how it’s done. He has also invested a lot of time mastering his Kebaya art outside of his actual job".

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When asked about the profitability of Kebaya making Heath chuckled and said, “If it was profitable, I wouldn’t have to change jobs. But money was never my goal, I do it out of love for the Kebaya.”

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When asked how much time he has collectively spent Heath said, “Easily over 2000 hours! I’ve lost track at this point!” he quickly followed up with “I hope I don’t sound like I don’t have a life outside of Kebaya making! I do spend time with friends and doing other things!”

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Heath no longer works full-time as a fashion designer because, “Although my passion lies in fashion, I do know that I have to be realistic. Crafting traditional Kebayas is not a profession that can pay the bills in this day and age.”

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When asked about his favourite work, Heath proudly held up, a small green Kebaya with flowers and leaves delicately embroidered all over.

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“I love the shading of the flowers, how the bright yellow transitions into a beautiful shade of orange. It has one of the traditional motifs in Kebayas, a flower you would see in books. In the past, Kebaya makers didn’t have the luxury of the internet to look for inspiration. They had to rely on the flora and fauna around them to design their work. This is why flowers on Kebayas are uniquely stylised by each artist and why mine is unique to me.”

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Heath is extremely optimistic about the future. With a wide smile on his face, he said, “I don't think the Kebayas die out honestly. I'm not sharing this because it is the politically correct answer. On a personal level, I think it will not die because there are many organisations and groups that are helping to keep Kebayas relevant and with social media nowadays raising awareness for older arts, there’s no way it will die out.”