Taking the helm of a songkok empire

 

Entrusted by his uncle, Kader Mydin is the sole songkok maker at the shop. He makes every single songkok by hand and works from morning until midnight to fulfil orders. He is pictured here trying to finish orders before Raya.

GEORGE TOWN: For nearly a decade, Penang-born Kader Mydin had his life sorted out in Tamil Nadu, selling hardware parts across southern India.

In 2008, though, his uncle Haja Mohideen Shariff came along, tired and weary.

Known as the king of songkok makers in Penang, Haja had decided to close his shop Kedai Songkok OSM Mohd Shariff for good and settle in his paternal home town of Ramnad.

“He came in exasperated, with his bags packed. My uncle wanted to retire for good,” Kader told FMT.

Kader Mydin brushes a tarbush to get rid of dust and lint. Brushing helps keep the vibrant colour and smooth texture of the songkok as it can diminish with accumulated dust and dirt, he says.

But the shop was nearly a century old, and Kader urged his uncle not to give the business up. Instead, he asked Haja to let him take over since no one else in the family was interested.

Haja was hesitant, saying it was “coolie’s work” that would earn him only a minimum wage – enough for him to “stay alive”.

He eventually relented and returned to Penang with Kader in 2009, but refused to let him take over. For three years, Kader was only allowed to observe his uncle at work, nothing more.

“It was nearly 10 years later that he allowed me to make a songkok from start to finish,” Kader recalled.

Lines are marked on a leather sheet for the head section and trimmed to the desired shape.

Haja handed over the business to Kader two months ago, a good 15 years after Kader began. Now 78, Haja is no longer at the shop, but enjoying his retirement at the family flat in Air Itam.

Like his uncle, Kader, who is married to one of Haja’s daughters, is now a one-man show, churning out seven to eight songkoks a day. He also makes the Pakistani Jinnah cap and tarbush or fez, which comes with a tassel. The materials – velvet and other exquisite fabrics – come primarily from India and Korea.

Most songkoks sold in the market last only two to three months as they are assembled in factories using glue. “Ours last five to six years and can withstand our humid weather and rain,” Kader said.

The songkok currently in demand is the “JDT”, inspired by those worn by Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, which are shorter than the typical Johor-style 4.5-inch songkoks. All orders are on a waitlist stretching up to 15 days.

The assortment of songkoks includes various heights – the “JDT” is shorter than the typical Johor-style 4.5-inch, ‘tall’ songkok.

On a normal day, Kader can make a standard 3.5-inch songkok in a couple of hours. Prices range from RM35 for the standard version to RM70 for the JDT.

Another standout songkok is the “foldable”, which has an inlay made from mengkuang (screw pine) weave, allowing it to be pocketable.

“We are the only ones that can make the foldable. It is our signature product, with many prime ministers, past and present, using them,” Kader said.

Established in the 1930s, the business began when Haja’s father Shariff started a garment shop along Pitt Street, and enterprising Minangkabau women leased a small space to make songkoks at the front of the store.

On a normal day, Kader Mydin would be able to make a standard 3.5-inch songkok in a couple of hours. The Pakistani Jinnah cap, the tarbush or fez can take a longer time to make.

“He got 10 of his family members from India to come to Penang to learn from these Minangkabau women how to make songkoks. He then opened four shops, including one in Butterworth,” Kader said.

Shariff was forced to close all but one of the shops after they were bombed during the Japanese occupation. The last one was on the side arcade of the Nagore Dargha Sharif, a shrine to a Muslim saint. His family evaded the scrutiny of the Japanese occupiers as they were regarded as a religious shop.

Three generations on, the shop prides itself on being the only one of its kind, using specially selected materials from the Middle East, India and Korea.

Looking back, Kader is happy with his career switch, having taken over his family’s legacy which nearly came to a stop. His degree in communications and technology is also put to good use, as he markets his songkoks in online shops.

“But there is nothing like getting your head measured in real life, and me getting the right fit for you,” he said. - FMT