Batik: Spearheading a strategy to go international<\/p>\n
Sean Yoong
\nAssociated Press
\nKuala Lumpur, Malaysia<\/p>\n
Decked in batik blouses and sarongs, four teenage girls stride
\ndown a fashion show catwalk, seemingly straight out of a village
\nin this Southeast Asian country. Statuesque models follow in a
\nbatik-loaded swirl of silk scarves and colorful chiffon.<\/p>\n
It's official: Malaysian batik is coming out of the closet.<\/p>\n
After a lifetime of being overshadowed by the more widely
\nknown Indonesian batik, Malaysia's version of the traditional
\ndyed textile is now the target of a big push to popularize it in
\nglobal fashion circles.<\/p>\n
"Our ultimate aim is to bring Malaysian batik to the world
\nstage, where it would get the prominence, acclaim and sales that
\nit deserves," said Endon Mahmood, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad
\nBadawi's wife, who has begun a campaign to boost batik
\nmanufacturing standards, nurture new designers and tailor the
\nproducts to foreign tastes.<\/p>\n
Batik-making has been a part of Southeast Asian culture for
\ncenturies, possibly brought by travelers from India, the art's
\nreputed birthplace.<\/p>\n
The skill flourished in Indonesia, spreading eventually to
\nneighboring Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Lauded for their polished craftsmanship, Indonesians have long
\ngenerated the most widely recognized batik, though production
\nsteps are similar everywhere -- using wax to draw out designs on
\ncloth, dyeing the textile and boiling it to melt the wax away.<\/p>\n
In recent years, Indonesian batik has sometimes been
\nincorporated into clothes by Western designers, and top
\nIndonesian designers have shown off batik costumes during
\noverseas shows.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Malaysia insists its batik fabrics could have an
\ninternational edge because they have brighter hues and more
\nversatile patterns than the illustrations of animals and people
\ncommon in mystic-influenced Indonesian batik.<\/p>\n
"It is very possible that Malaysian batik will reach the
\nshelves of Macy's, Fifth Avenue and Neimann Marcus and Harrods
\nand Printemps -- provided the support mechanism is well
\noperated," columnist Wahti Mahidin wrote in the Malay Mail
\nnewspaper.<\/p>\n
But challenging Indonesia's cross-border foothold won't be
\neasy, especially since the popularity of Malaysian batik has
\nfaded even at home in recent decades and is now worn mostly by
\ngovernment officials and aging matriarchs during formal
\noccasions.<\/p>\n
Reviving the use of batik here is a priority of the campaign
\norchestrated by Malaysia's first lady Endon, a fashion
\ntrendsetter who published a coffee table book in early 2003 that
\nstirred renewed interest in a traditional ethnic dress called
\nkebaya.<\/p>\n
Endon has voiced hopes that an ongoing publicity blitz, which
\ncomprises fashion shows, trade exhibitions and even a batik-
\nthemed street carnival, will drive up domestic demand and deliver
\nan economic incentive for hundreds of batik manufacturers
\nnationwide to improve their products.<\/p>\n
"This is a matter of national pride in a craft that has served
\nus well," said Prime Minister Abdullah, who is abetting his
\nwife's campaign by encouraging civil servants to wear batik to
\nthe office on Saturdays, a half-day in Malaysia's working week
\nand when dress has traditionally been more casual.<\/p>\n
The efforts by Endon and her newly formed Batik Guild -- a
\ncoalition of industry insiders -- are expected to culminate in
\nearly 2005, when Malaysia plans to host a world batik convention.<\/p>\n
For now, other initiatives include a design competition to
\ndiscover fresh Malaysian talents who could create innovative
\nattire and trendy accessories using batik material.<\/p>\n
Officials have also flown overseas to hold pageants that
\nhighlight batik and other Malaysian textiles, starting with a
\nParis show in December attended by French Prime Minister Jean-
\nPierre Raffarin's wife, Anne-Marie.<\/p>\n
"This is the biggest thing our industry has ever tried to do -
\nturn our traditional craft into an international fashion craze,"
\nsaid Razali Arsat, a batik distributor in Kelantan, an eastern
\nstate where factories and tiny home-based enterprises churn out
\nmost of Malaysia's batik.<\/p>",
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