Hello. GOPAKO is the name for my handmade Iyengar yoga shorts, cut and sewn in Malaysia. GOPAKO is operating under Violet Tree Studio company. I sourced the material and experimented with different design and cuttings. Each Iyengar Yoga Shorts is handmade, down to the labels where we silkscreen and proudly sew them on.

Now, GOPAKO has more products and interesting ideas to come that I would like to share with the yoga community. GOPAKO is a channel for me to share my love for yoga and passion for handmade goods, which has long been my dream. A dream that goes like this…

When I was a kid, I spent most of the time alone because of the age gap between my elder sisters and me. I had always leaned towards the creative side ever since I was 4, playing in a big laundry basket while my mum does her seamstress stuff. Many a times the drone of the sewing machine lulls me to sleep.

Being attracted to the simplicity of crafting and the hours of amusement it brings me, made me look at paper, cloth, wood and other medium in a different light. I made cute little bookmarks for friends in school. When my mum got me a Barbie doll, it had only 1 miserable outfit. So I scavenged for cloth scraps and did the needle and thread magic. That was my first taste of being a fashion designer. The closest I have been.

As I got older, I dabbled with my mum’s industrial standard/sewing machine. My first creation was a batik skirt with waist band. That got me started to modifying my own clothes, which was a process of trial and errors and with most of the errors stuffing up my dustbin or, banished forever in my dark closet.

I have always had something that I would love to do. Or at least try. There’s painting, dressmaking, handcrafting, yoga, baking and etc which somehow fogs up my vision and path. I have tried but always lost interest in it after a while. One fine day, out of a sudden I confided my 5-year old dream to my hubby half expecting him to tease me as always.

In it, I was the popular and endeared yet shy fashion designer. Throngs of people waits as I step out on to the red carpet from my private limo. As my right heel graces the carpet, blinding white lights flashes left and right accompanied by deafening cheers and shrieks of GOPAKO. What a rush it was.

I felt the rush even when I woke up from it. The name stuck and I did a quick search. It meant a cowherd in Pali language as the one who guards or takes care of. A field-watcher. An elephant’s keeper. The groom of the royal charger. There was a river by that name too in Philippines. GOPAKO also meant ‘five hundred dollar’ if loosely translated in Hokkien dialect.

The dream of GOPAKO is no longer a dream after hibernating for 5 years. I know it took me years for my dream to come true… but I believe that, just because something is not happening right now, doesn’t mean that it will never happen.

I sincerely thank you for dropping by GOPAKO and appreciate all your love and support.

Crafted with love,
Melle

Do follow my Facebook page and Official Gopako blog to find out more.