Kasut Manek

Kasut manek means beaded sandals in Malay, and to the Peranakan ladies of South East Asia, this is what you wear with your sarong kebayas. The beadwork is done by hand, and is time consuming and painstaking. Not many people take up the challenge of learning how to do the bead work these days. In addition, the fine beads are practically impossible to find as the factories in Eastern Europe and Germany have closed or ceased making them. Newer beads are coarser and larger leading to a less fine finish.

This pair was beaded by hand by my sister, literally over several years, as she only did a few rows at a time in between getting on with her real job. After she finished the beading, we took the panels to the cobbler to turn them into sandals. At that time, he told her that the pattern she followed was meant for the tiny feet of ladies 80 years ago, and she needed to add about a centimeter more to each panel! That took another year … We finally collected the finished sandals from the cobbler last Sunday.

I think these Kasut Manek are destined to become a family heirloom.