INTRINSICALLY INDONESIAN, YET VIEWED BY SOME AS A PRODUCT OF THE PAST, BATIK IS BEING TARGETED TO CAPTURE A NEW GENERATION. HARUMI SUPIT REPORTS

PHOTOGRAPHY | LESTER LEDESMA

Racks of batik garments rustle under the soft lights of the 6,000 square meter Alun-Alun emporium in Jakarta’s plush Grand Indonesia mall. Well-heeled shoppers with nannies in tow survey the floor before heading downstairs for a latte. The crowd is largely local, rich and appreciative.

Batik is deeply entrenched in the Indonesian psyche. Despite production by other countries, Indonesians continue to think of batik as uniquely Indonesian. Many government organizations and some private companies also require employees to wear batik once a week.

Josephine Komara, the force behind Bin House, one of the best batik producers with outlets in Singapore and Japan, says emphatically: “Batik, the way it’s made in Indonesia, is only made in Indonesia.” Komara has a merchant family background and developed her interest in batik from her grandmother.

Traditionally, batik refers to fabric decorated painstakingly by hand using hot wax and then dyed to create a pattern in reverse. Villages developed patterns and colors so distinctive that a connoisseur could tell from sight alone the specific source of certain motifs. Central Java is particularly well known for the quality of its batik. Cities like Pekalongan, Solo (previously Surakarta), Cirebon and Jogjakarta vie for the title Kota Batik, or Batik City.

At the high end, crafting quality batik takes many hours. Batik tulis, literally ‘hand written’ batik, involves hundreds of designs drawn painstakingly on the cloth by hand using hot wax applied with a copper stylus called a canting. The cloth is then dipped in dye to create a reverse pattern and the wax scraped off. Depending on the complexity of design, this may be repeated more than 20 times, with a day between dyeing to dry. “It’s like a painting. The same artist asked to paint again — it can’t be the same,” says Komara.

A cheaper alternative is batik cap, where designs are stamped on manually. These days, machines print simplified batik motifs directly onto cloth (usually polyester or rayon) for a mass-produced version, referred to as printed batik.

The price range is wide. A cheap print shirt can go for as low as Rp. 20,000 (US$2.18) while its handmade tulis counterpart in silk might retail for a few hundred dollars.

There is no shortage of buyers at the high end of the spectrum, a nod to the buying power of Indonesia’s famously moneyed elites. Batik tulis, the haute couture of traditional fabric, occupies a special niche. Exacting Indonesian aesthetics mean that the Javanese version of batik tulis cannot be recreated anywhere else in the world. It can also easily take four months to produce one piece.

Yet it is the history of batik that works against the product when it comes to the younger generation. “They view it as being very traditional,” says Minky Lesmana, a manager at textile company PT Eratex.

Today’s batik remains a predominantly domestic product. According to the newspaper Media Indonesia, government statistics in 2006 placed batik exports at US$110 million – just 34 per cent of a total production worth approximately US$322 million. In all, the batik industry employs nearly 800,000 people.

“The domestic market is the dominant one,” says Daniel Sugiarto, operations director at Iwan Tirta, another well known high-end batik company that produced the shirts worn by the 1994 APEC delegates, including President Clinton.

Today’s batik comes in a mind-boggling variety of shapes, prices, cuts and colors. “We have to target the youth market. If we don’t, eventually we will lose them,” notes Sugiarto.

Batik can be seen in home decor, ceramic-wear and accessories. Citos, a popular youth mall in Jakarta, offers a glimpse of how the product is moving into popular culture. On a Tuesday night the floor is filled with busy kiosks, one-fifth of them devoted to batik, cut and stitched into garments that mimic the swinging loose tunics and wide hippy skirts sold at trendy stores such as Zara.

“If I see a good batik, I’ll buy it,” says Singapore-educated Louise Hartanto, 26, who runs an education consulting business. “I usually make it into clothes, like a modern party dress or a top or a skirt. If I like the color and the design I’ll buy it – as long as the cost is fine.

I don’t find it weird, I find it just like an ordinary dress and top.”

Brands such as Allure are successfully riding this trend. Allure, a newcomer on the scene, started operations in 2005, and has managed to attract the current President’s young daughter-in-law, a former TV presenter, as its public face. Allure’s designs are a blend of modern and traditional, and it has four boutiques and two outlets – not bad for a ‘niche’ business.

No one disputes that innovation is necessary. Yet as batik takes on a modern cast, one hopes the appreciation of the traditional process won’t be lost. “There is interest in batik - but without understanding,” a worried Komara says, adding with the passion of a dedicated batik lover: “It’s unique.”

Finding the best batik

Central Java has traditionally been a prolific producer of batik. Jogjakarta, Solo, Cirebon and Pekalongan are just a handful of cities in which the tradition survives. Much of these producers’ work makes its way to cities around the world, but it’s worth going yourself to pick up unique, one-of-a-kind pieces. Jl Malioboro in Jog-jakarta is a good place to go to see the work of these artisans. For printed batik, you can try local malls, markets or even department stores. There are also batik stores at many airports.

Producers profiled (main showrooms):

Allure
Jl Kemang Raya 27A, Jakarta Selatan www.allurebatik.com

Bin House
Jl Teluk Betung 10, Jakarta Pusat www.binhouse.com

Danar Hadi
Jl Melawai Raya 69-70, Jakarta Selatan www.danarhadibatik.com

Iwan Tirta
Jl Wijaya XIII No 11A, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan www.iwantirtabatik.com