"Kenyalang Shield"

The design for the garment was inspired from the wings of Hornbill. I named its “Kenyalang Shield” to protect the wearer from the Covid 19 virus. Featuring long cuts from shoulder to ankle that cover the entire body and combined with decorative bird feathers on the shoulders and neck. The bird feathers on the shoulders and neck serve to remind not to talk too much and not to be too close to people. The movements can be felt like a warning when the breath is exhaled from the nose and mouth. The big wings are spread into the air as if to cover the whole world to protect in the fight against Covid 19. Whoever is near will run away and whoever is far will avoid getting close. The function is to follow the Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) of social distancing.

Inner part of the garment I use sugar sack as a bone to form the bird’s wings. Large wings with strong skeleton support show confidence to face a challenging future. The black colour symbolizes courage in going through hardships in life. White colour symbolizes purity and cleanliness needs to be adopted to face the new norms of life in the fight against the corona virus. The orange colour symbolizes the attitude of always being careful in whatever has done. The gold colour showed the importance to protect yourself and your loved ones in the current pandemic. At the upper and bottom part of the garment, I use a sugar sack to create feathers and sprayed with yellow, orange, and black colour to show the multi-racial population in Sarawak that can live together in harmony.