Australians try to pull the wool over the tropics<\/p>\n
Text by Dini S. Djalal and photos by Samuel Sunarto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): \"I don't care what people say. Wool is hot
\nstuff,\" says Martina, an Australian living in Jakarta. Martina is
\ntalking about wearing traditionally winter fabrics in tropical
\ntemperatures.<\/p>\n
\"I wouldn't wear wool in this country,\" Martina adds. \"Unless
\nI'm staying at the Hyatt all day,\" she laughs.<\/p>\n
American executive Tanya agrees that wool is simply not cool.
\n\"I have a couple of wool jackets for formal meetings but I only
\nwear them if I'm certain I will be in sub-zero temperatures,\" she
\nsays.<\/p>\n
Ingrained attitudes like these are keeping the Australia-based
\nInternational Wool Secretariat (IWS) very busy. The IWS was in
\nJakarta recently to introduce wol tropis (tropical wool) to
\nIndonesia's immense consumer market. A fashion show on June 18
\nfeaturing ready-to-wear wool collections by both international
\nand Indonesian designers, as well as the first batik apparel made
\nof wool, followed a seminar illustrating wool's potential to
\nlocal textile manufacturers.<\/p>\n
The show was a success, says Paul Regnault, director of the
\nIWS-funded research project currently perfecting wool-batikking
\nmethods. \"We are seeing a lot of interest from textile
\nmanufacturers who want to introduce new products and use
\nsomething other than polyester,\" says Regnault. The IWS is
\ncurrently negotiating with industry giants PT Argo Pantes and PT
\nHadtex, and PT Georgia Macquarie Indonusa is reportedly investing
\nUS$10 million in a wool-production plant here.<\/p>\n
Heaps of sheep<\/p>\n
But is \"tropical wool\" merely Australia's marketing spin for a
\nnation deep in sheep? The world's largest wool producer and
\nexporter -- Australia exports 98 percent of its wool production
\nand counts wool as its biggest export earner -- would be foolish
\nto sidestep the 190-million-population of its next-door neighbor.
\n\"Yes, we've a lot of wool we want to get rid of,\" admits Paul
\nRegnault.<\/p>\n
Regnault adds, however, that there are great benefits in
\nmarketing wool in Indonesia. \"Sure, we've got heaps of sheep, but
\neveryone's got an angle,\" says Regnault. \"Look at all the air-
\nconditioned buildings in this city. In those buildings, you can
\nwear lightweight wool, which absorbs moisture,\" he adds.<\/p>\n
Local industrialists merely have to decide at which stage of
\nproduction they want to enter. \"Maybe developing the specialized
\nspinning and weaving capability requires some capital,\" Regnault
\nsuggests.<\/p>\n
But once the equipment is in place, Regnault says vast
\nopportunities for export await. \"The industry isn't limited to
\nfashion garments. You can also export blankets and sportswear,\"
\nRegnault points out. And a major incentive to produce wool is the
\nhigher retail price it commands. Pure wool and wool-blend
\nproducts often sell at up to double the price of cotton or
\nsynthetic products.<\/p>\n
Prospects for higher earnings exist not only for giant
\nmanufacturers but also for smaller producers. In particular, the
\nailing batik industry is well positioned to benefit from this new
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
Winter<\/p>\n
\"Batik wool would be great for overseas markets, for winter
\nclothes. Anything we sell in silk we can also sell in wool,\"
\nexplains designer Ghea Panggabean. She says her indigo and brick-
\nred Batik Tuban in wool, cut into elegant sarongs and Chinese-
\ninfluenced cropped jackets, were well-received by both local and
\nforeign buyers.<\/p>\n
Was the fabric not thick and itchy? \"Absolutely not,\" Ghea
\ninsists. \"Besides, wool falls beautifully. If you don't try it
\nyourself, you won't know,\" she argues.<\/p>\n
Iwan Tirta, Indonesia's foremost batik designer, was also
\nwell-rewarded for his risky venture. \"We sold more than half of
\nour collection,\" says Tirta's assistant Pauly. The shawls were
\nparticularly popular, he adds, because they provide a warmer
\nalternative to silk batik scarves in cool weather.<\/p>\n
If Tirta's colorful, dramatic batiks -- in ultramarine, apple-
\ngreen, and fuchsia, as well as traditional gold-and-brown hues --
\nwere the star of the show, it's because it has taken him seven
\nmonths to process the batiks. \"The colors came out so well
\nbecause we painstakingly followed the process worked out by the
\nIWS,\" says Pauly. The process of batikking wool takes twice as
\nlong as batikking more traditional materials such as silk and
\ncotton.<\/p>\n
Maintaining fabric softness is as important, and as difficult,
\nas preserving colors. Regnault explains that after multiple
\napplications of dye, wax, washing agents, and heat, the wool may
\nbecome stripped of its protein -- essentially turning the fabric
\ninto canvas. \"The timing process is very critical. Wool isn't
\nlike cotton which you can wash for as long as you want -- Wool
\nneeds a little more care and attention,\" says Regnault. Regnault
\nadmits that the IWS' next step is to implement educational and
\ntraining programs on the proper treatment of wool.<\/p>\n
Educating the textile industry may prove less challenging than
\nchanging the public's perceptions of wool as accessories for an
\nArctic expedition. When asked if she would wear wool in
\nIndonesia, 25 year-old financial analyst Ruby said, \"Normally?
\nNo.\"<\/p>\n
Ghea argues, however, that most working women in Indonesia do
\nwear wool or wool-blends in suits. \"If you look at the ladies who
\ngo out, they are all wearing imported light-weight wool suits.
\nAll those Armani suits are wool-blend,\" says Ghea. She plans to
\ninclude more woolens in her collection, to be sold on the
\ndomestic market.<\/p>\n
Some consumers, however, remain unconvinced. \"Sure, I've got
\nsome light-weight wool clothes,\" says Tanya, an American living
\nin Jakarta. But, adds Tanya, \"They're still hanging in the
\ncloset.\"<\/p>",
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