By The Eye desk · Last verified 29 September 2026
The kebaya, the fitted, often embroidered blouse worn across Southeast Asia, was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 4 December 2024. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand nominated it together, the largest Southeast Asian nomination by number of countries. In Singapore, the National Heritage Board (NHB) describes the kebaya as an important medium for Malay and Peranakan cultures. The listing recognises the knowledge, skills and traditions of making and wearing it, not a single design or country.
Quick facts
- Inscribed by UNESCO on 4 December 2024.
- Nominated jointly by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
- Singapore’s first multinational nomination.
- The nomination was submitted in March 2023.
- The listing covers “Kebaya: Knowledge, Skills, Traditions and Practices”.
- Singapore’s hawker culture was inscribed in 2020.
What does the listing recognise?
Not a garment in a museum, but a living practice. The nomination, formally titled “Kebaya: Knowledge, Skills, Traditions and Practices”, covers how kebaya are designed, sewn, embroidered and worn across communities today. NHB said the five countries chose a joint bid to celebrate a shared history that crosses ethnicity and religion.
How did the nomination come about?
Malaysia proposed it in 2022, and Brunei, Singapore and Thailand joined; Indonesia joined later. Before the submission, NHB held focus groups with kebaya makers, cultural associations and researchers. UNESCO’s committee commended the countries for their community involvement when it approved the inscription in December 2024.
Why does it matter for the craft?
A kebaya, particularly one with fine sulam (hand embroidery), takes many hours to make, layer by layer. The listing commits the nominating countries to safeguarding and passing on those skills, which puts attention on the few makers still working.
The WahLiao Verdict
The kebaya is Singapore fashion with the longest memory. If you’re buying one, ask how it was made and by whom: a hand-embroidered kebaya from a local maker carries the craft UNESCO is protecting, while a printed copy doesn’t.
Questions people ask
Does the listing mean the kebaya belongs to one country?
No. It was a joint nomination, and the listing recognises shared heritage.
What’s a Peranakan kebaya?
A style associated with Peranakan communities, often sheer with elaborate embroidery, worn with a batik sarong.
What else from Singapore is on the list?
Hawker culture, inscribed in 2020.
Where can I see kebaya in Singapore?
Museums such as the Asian Civilisations Museum hold examples; check what’s on display before you go.
Sources: NHB, the kebaya nomination; MCCY, keeping kebaya culture alive; CNA via iTiger on the December 2024 inscription; The Straits Times via Asia News Network on the 2022 announcement; Little Day Out on kebaya makers.
Read next: Tailoring Terms Explained · How a Hawker Centre Works · Back to The Eye
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