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Vatsala, the founder of Kebayaree, has always loved wearing sarees. But whenever she wore one overseas, people would often assume she was from India.
In November 2025, she attended a UNCTAD Women Entrepreneurship Programme gathering in the Philippines, where participants were encouraged to wear something that represented their country.
"I wanted to represent my Indian heritage, but I also wanted the outfit to immediately carry an element of Malaysia," she told SAYS.
That was when she thought of pairing her saree with a Peranakan Nyonya kebaya.
Both the kebaya and saree have their own histories and cultural identities, so she wanted each to remain visible
"I didn't want to combine them in a way where one garment became secondary to the other. I didn't want the kebaya to lose its identity, and I didn't want the saree to disappear underneath it either," she shared.
She experimented with the draping, allowing the kebaya's details to remain visible while keeping the saree's pleats and pallu recognisable.
The outfit quickly became a conversation starter.
Instead of people assuming she was from India, they started asking where she was from.
Her answer: Malaysia.
"I didn't want to choose between my Malaysian identity and my Indian heritage. I wanted both to be seen, without either one losing its significance."
That first outfit eventually became the inspiration behind Kebayaree, a brand name that merges "kebaya" and "saree".
After receiving plenty of attention at networking events, Vatsala decided to see how the wider public would respond to the concept
She bought a kebaya, styled it with a saree, filmed a simple video showing how she put the two together, and posted it on social media.
The video went viral.
But she was more interested in what people were saying than the number of views.
"Women were commenting things like, 'This feels Malaysian,' 'This belongs to us,' 'I would wear this,' or simply expressing that they could see themselves in it," she said.
That phenomenal response gave her the push to explore whether Kebayaree could become something bigger.
One major hurdle she wanted to address was accessibility. If women from different backgrounds were going to wear Kebayaree, she couldn't assume everyone knew how to drape a saree.
"To be fair, even some of us Indian women struggle with saree pleating!" she joked.
This led her to explore ready-to-wear and pre-pleated options, making the look easier for more women to try.
Creating a Kebayaree look involves much more than finding a kebaya and saree that happen to match
Vatsala considers everything from the fabric and comfort to colours and motifs, particularly because Malaysia's hot and humid weather isn't exactly forgiving.
"I'm quite conscious about the motifs I use. I don't want to casually use something that carries a particular cultural or religious significance without understanding it," she explained.
For now, she tends to work with florals, nature-inspired elements, abstract patterns, and decorative motifs.
There's also the signature 'Kebayaree drape', which she developed to ensure both garments remain prominent.
Instead of draping the saree pallu over the front of the kebaya, she brings it through the centre opening and around the buttons.
This allows the kebaya's embroidery and details to remain visible alongside the saree's pleats.
"Both identities need to be visible, both need to be respected, and the woman wearing them needs to feel comfortable and confident," Vatsala said.
When it came time to launch her first collection, she chose 10 real Malaysian women from different races, cultures, generations, professions, body types, and life experiences, asking each to share what heritage meant to them
On 23 August 2026, she officially launched the first collection through Threads of Heritage at Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad.
"I remember looking at all of them together and thinking, 'This feels Malaysian,'" she recalled.
For Vatsala, that's what Kebayaree has increasingly become about.
"Fashion is the invitation, but community is the outcome."
As a social entrepreneur, Vatsala also wants Kebayaree to eventually create income and employment opportunities for women
She hopes to train women in skills such as stitching, garment construction, pre-pleating, garment finishing, and eventually batik-making.
"I want Kebayaree to eventually become an income-generation and employment pathway for women," she said.
The brand is currently keeping its collections small and limited, with some designs available in quantities of just three pieces.
Prices range from RM199 to RM799, depending on the fabric, workmanship, and detailing.
Kebayaree is available online. Customers can also contact the brand for its catalogue, sizing, pre-pleating, and styling assistance.
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