Jadi Batek History
History
Jadi Batek was established in 1976 by husband and wife team Yong Jo and Thong Lai Ying. They took over a batik shop from their boss, Tan Sri Dr Tan Hian Tsin who was the founder of Singapore-based Crocodile brand. During the 70's, Batik was referred as "Batek" in Malaysia before it was standardized to "Batik" in the 80's.
Jadi Batek during the 80's
Thong Lai Ying the wife, was the seamstress to tailor batik shirts and ties. While the husband, Yong Jo operated the shop and distributed the batik products to all over Malaysia. During the 1970s and 80s, it was the only batik shop in the Bukit Bintang area. Locals and tourists would normally buy batik shirts before going to Genting Highlands as it was a requirement to dress in batik attire to enter the casino. The business was good and Jadi Batek became one of the biggest batik and souvenir shops in Kuala Lumpur.
Jadi Batek in the Millennium
In 1999, eldest son Colin Yong took over the family business and relocated Jadi Batek to its current location, transforming it from a souvenir shop into a full-fledged handicraft center. He established a batik workshop featuring local artists from Kelantan and expanded the retail space to showcase batik and handicrafts from across Malaysia. Through interactive batik demonstrations and classes, Jadi Batek grew to become Kuala Lumpur's largest batik handicraft center and a major tourist attraction.