‘The Quiet Power’: Hatta Dolmat’s Tribute To Women

By Atira Khalisha Nor Adnan

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- The phrase ‘the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world’ aptly reflects the spirit of today’s women, who excel in various fields and aspects, proving their ability to contribute and achieve remarkable success.

From national athletes to volunteers involved in humanitarian missions such as the recent Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, the impact of their contributions is widely felt — and this narrative inspired renowned fashion designer Hatta Dolmat to translate women’s achievements into his latest modestwear collection.

Centred on the theme ‘The Quiet Power’ the collection was showcased at Fashionably Modest Asia (FMA) 2025 as a tribute to women.

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Hatta, whose full name is Muhammad Hatta Dolmat, said the ‘quiet power’ element is expressed through the use of sturdy yet comfortable fabrics such as corduroy, linen and cotton; simple and structured silhouettes that represent confidence; and gentle flow in several designs to symbolise the calmness of modern women.

Deep red was chosen as the main palette as it symbolises exclusivity, and is ideal for highlighting identity while embodying calmness and maturity without being overly bold.

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To bring this message to life, Hatta also selected eight female icons to present the collection, including singer Zizi Kirana, as well as athletes Nor Farah Ain (lawn bowls), Isabelle Chiyi Buckley (swimming) and Siti NurSara (climbing).

Each icon was given the freedom to choose the outfit that best matched their character and comfort.

“I asked them during fitting — is it okay, can you carry it? If not comfortable, we change it. When they’re comfortable, that’s when the ‘quiet power’ emerges. They’re not professional models, so confidence is crucial,” he told Bernama at FMA 2025.

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The collection is a combination of new designs and pieces from his 20 years in the industry, including elements from his earlier collection titled Perahu Kertas, reinterpreted as Perahu Kertas 2.0 to better suit current fashion trends.

He said the process of completing the 20 modestwear looks took about two weeks and involved nearly 15 team members, including designers, stylists and icon coordinators.

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Hatta emphasised that his focus this time was to prove that modest fashion has no boundaries, and that women — whether wearing the hijab or not — can still express strength, elegance and confidence through modest styling.

Despite his two decades in the fashion industry, Hatta admitted facing several challenges in preparing the collection, particularly in ensuring the looks appeared fresh and relevant.

“The biggest challenge was avoiding repetition from previous collections. Previously I had the Perahu Kertas collection, and I needed to inject new elements, new colours, so this collection would stand out. This time I chose burgundy because it symbolises exclusivity and calmness, in line with the show’s theme.”

-- BERNAMA