Malaysia · Headwear / Tailoring / Traditional Dress
Songkok
Bespoke songkok making: a shaped paper or cardboard inner frame is covered with fitted velvet or other cloth, lined, machine-stitched and finished by hand, each cap adjusted to the wearer's head. In George Town, Penang, the craft is documented through a three-generation family workshop on Lebuh King, from OSM Mohd Shariff Mohideen Rahter to his son Haja Mohideen Mohd Shariff, who took over in 1973 and became one of Penang's most celebrated songkok makers, and now to son-in-law Abdul Kader Mydin. On a CRAFT field visit in September 2026, Abdul Kader said he is continuing the craft as Haja Mohideen is now in old age, but named inexpensive imported songkok from China as a direct commercial threat that could make the handmade Penang practice disappear.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not individually inscribed; practiced within George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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