Projek57 & Batik Boutique’s Father’s Day

For our Father’s Day Collection, we wanted to highlight a man who reflects respectable values. Immediately, we thought of our friend, Syed Sadiq Albar, and his handsome sons, who modeled the matching father and son shirts seen in our newest collection. 

Who is Syed Sadiq? 

Syed Sadiq is one of the founders of Projek57, a non-political and non-partisan social enterprise committed to building unity and hope in Malaysia. The founders, Collin Swee and Syed Sadiq Albar are friends and business partners for the past  15 years. They used their entrepreneurial experience to create a social enterprise that would encourage friends and community to do something, no matter how much or how little, to sow hope for the future of a better, more racially unified Malaysia. All their company profits are channelled towards empowerment programs supporting this cause. 

Sadiq and his sons, aged 12 and 10, were the models for our Father’s Day Collection. They were good sports at the photo shoot which made it a breeze at the studio of the talented Paulius Staniunas from All is Amazing Creative Photography. “My boys and I like the batik shirts, and we can coordinate wearing the same design when we go to a function. I especially like the 100% cotton material, variety of designs and colours. Face masks are also made in the same prints so you can have a set of matching shirts and face masks to look cool when stepping out during this new normal” said Sadiq.

What is Projek57?

Sadiq also shared with us how he started Projek 57. "It began in 2015 when Collin and I were chatting over coffee and looking at how the trajectory of the country was headed with regards to race relations, racial polarization and extremist views. We decided to not just talk about it, but to actually do something. ’Be the change that you want to see’ said Gandhi. Now, five years on we are very happy to say that it’s been an amazing journey. There are ups and downs for sure, but more ups than downs. We’ve been blessed to meet and work with so many amazing people. What we want to do is to inspire greater patriotism and foster greater unity in Malaysia. But as we all know unity is something that doesn’t have a finish line. It’s a constant or maybe forever would be a better word to describe the process of getting there, forever a work in progress. Something we (Projek57) and Malaysians need to always work at, tweak and evolve as time progresses," Sadiq shared with us so passionately. 

“There’s one thing I would like to mention - we are always so focused on our diversities and differences when we should also be celebrating our similarities. No matter what race we are, the pantangs (cultural norms) we practice are similar. That is what makes Malaysia special.”

Who Does Projek 57 Benefit?

Sadiq goes on to share the focus of their current programs at Projek 57. “Our focus is the youth of our nation. We collaborate with universities and colleges to engage youth in projects to build unity, and empower underprivileged youth through retailing the t-shirts and lifestyle products we design. Our main beneficiaries are orang asli youth. Quite a few have come through our organization for work and to further their education, and we are proud of their progress." In order to sustain the enterprise, Projek 57 sells t-shirts and other merchandise which display fresh and relevant home-grown designs with positive and meaningful messages about Malaysia. With each t-shirt sold, RM5 goes to underprivileged youths, and empowerment programmes for them. In addition, all  company profits will be channelled towards such empowerment programs. 

" also organise and participate in community events," Sadiq shares. "We collaborate with corporates who journey with us to spread this message of unity and hope. Some also partner with us to help empower our underprivileged youths. Projek57 is a social enterprise inspired by the vision of many different kinds of people embracing each other, living and working well together in Malaysia. We are driven by positive values and uniting factors. Our aim is to inspire greater patriotism and to foster greater unity amongst fellow Malaysians."

What has Projek 57 taught Sadiq?

“Projek57 has given me a very clear perspective on life, how I should live my life and how important it is for me to make an effort with people. Things will not and cannot just happen on their own - it is up to us to work at it and intentionally make sure that things happen. We cannot achieve unity and keep a country united by just letting it take its course. It is something that needs to be worked on and nurtured for it to always remain. What never stops surprising me is people. Being in this space has given me a great opportunity to meet amazing people. Meeting people that have achieved so much in life helps keep me humble and in touch with what is real,” Sadiq said. 

What does it mean to Sadiq to Represent Batik Boutique? 

“We are delighted to collaborate with Batik Boutique, which is a company that has similar values as Projek57 that is about empowering communities and keeping the beautiful tradition of batik alive. I am proud to be associated with Batik Boutique as I am friends with their CEO - Amy Blair, whom I have known for a long time. I am glad that someone has taken the initiative to create a business marketing Malaysia batik products both locally and globally” said Sadiq. “Batik was in need of a transformation to a more fashionable, chic and wearable product, and Batik Boutique has done just that. Malaysians should wear more batik in their daily wear as it is more suited to our tropical climate and this can support our local artisans and keep the tradition alive for many years to come.”

To learn more about Sadiq and Projek 57, you can follow along at projek57.com

To see more of our new batik shirts both for men and boys, you can visit our website.

We offer FREE shipping within Malaysia with purchases of RM200 or more and FREE international shipping with purchases of USD100 or more.

You can also visit us in-store at No 3, Jalan 26/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur. We are open Monday - Saturday from 9am - 6pm.

Let’s keep pushing for more racial unity, and let’s keep supporting artisan-made products and cultural heritage. Your purchases make a difference.

Happy Father's Day!