Single mum turns love of gardening into eco-printing business, but lacks social safety net
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 24 — As a child, Siti Nuraznie Ibrahim would often explore the forest behind her kampung in Kul...
In 2018, Siti Nuraznie Ibrahim, a single mother from Kulim, Kedah, lost her husband of 23 years, Azhar Ahmad, to a heart attack when their three children were still young. With no salaried job to cover childcare and living expenses, Aznie turned to her lifelong passion for gardening to create an eco-printing business. She forages for plants in her garden and nearby areas, uses leaves and flowers like daun jati, lemuni, ulam raja and beko/lanang to create unique eco-printed textiles.
Aznie's process involves gathering and preparing materials, arranging them on natural cloth, steaming them to transfer plant tannins and pigments, and then drying the finished product. Despite the labor-intensive nature of the work, Aznie feels a sense of anticipation with each new creation, and her mistakes have become valuable design elements.
Her business relies on word-of-mouth and social enterprise marketing, but the income remains modest and unpredictable, unable to replace a full-time job. Eco-printing offers a safer alternative to synthetic dyes, as it avoids the use of harmful chemicals and is gentler on the environment.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
