Hello, Dolly!

Wesley Hilton is the founder of Borneo Doll, proudly showcasing Malaysian indigenous tribes through miniature recreations of ancient traditional costumes

- Kiran Pillay

As a child, Wesley Hilton nurtured a love of fashion design even before he knew how to articulate his fascination with words, noting “I had no exposure to the concept, but I knew I loved to design.” Hilton took to exploring his interests behind closed doors by creating outfits for dolls, cherishing them as blank canvases for his burgeoning artistic expression. Even so, he recognised the need to stay discreet, understanding that dolls were strictly seen as toys for girls due to gender stereotypes.

How did a budding designer source the materials for his secret hobby, you ask? From his mother’s closet, naturally. “I used to cut up my mother’s dresses to have material to work with. I would look into her cupboard and think, ‘Oh, she doesn’t wear this anymore!’” Hilton admits, having selected well as evidenced by his success in evading his mother’s reprimand.

Today, the 37-year-old flight attendant lives in Kuala Lumpur, with 15 years of experience at making the skies a friendlier place. At the start of his career, Hilton used his newfound freedom and financial independence to begin collecting dolls from around the world, focused exclusively on Mattel’s Barbie dolls. When the Covid-19 lockdown saw all flights grounded in 2020, Hilton turned to exploring doll making.

Unable to return home to celebrate the Gawai festival, the dollmaker drew from his personal collection of dolls to transform one into a Kumang doll, wearing the Ngepan Iban traditional costume. It marked the dawn of Borneo Doll by Wesley Hilton. “That first doll is my favourite. I eventually took it back to my hometown in Sibu and kept it in a glass case,” Hilton says.