Karangbanjar has wigs for all<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono and Amin A Abdurrahman, The Jakarta Post\/Purbalingga, Central Java<\/p>\n
Don't be surprised if someone tells you that the wigs that the
\ncountry's celebrities are wearing may have been made in
\nKarangbanjar, a small village some six kilometers northwest of
\nthe capital of Purbalingga in Central Java, and the center of
\nhandmade hair products.<\/p>\n
Here, some 300 villagers, mostly housewives, are involved in a
\nbusiness that has been operating since the 1970s and produces a
\nvariety of hair products, including wigs in a variety of styles
\nand sizes, hair buns of various types and sizes, both modern and
\ntraditional, cemara (long switches of hair twisted into
\nchignons), eyelashes, and many others.<\/p>\n
The prices vary, too, from Rp 15,000 for a hairpiece about the
\nsize as an adult's fist, to Rp 300,000 for an export-quality wig.<\/p>\n
The market for the hair products is not just domestic but also
\ninternational, although the main market is local. \"At present,
\nfor example, we are trying to fill orders from Suriname, which
\nwas formerly occupied by the Dutch, and populated mostly by
\npeople of Javanese descent,\" Ngudiyono, 45, the owner of a home-
\nbased industry producing hair products in Karangbanjar, told
\nThe Jakarta Post in a recent interview.<\/p>\n
The business, so far, according to Ngudiyono, is relatively
\ngood, although there are now some five Korean companies,
\nemploying some 5,000 workers, producing the same products in
\nPurbalingga.<\/p>\n
That is because they have different target markets.<\/p>\n
Karangbanjar's products are mostly marketed in Indonesia,
\nwhile those of the Korean companies are for export only.<\/p>\n
\"Our product range is also more varied, while the Korean
\ncompanies mostly produce false eyelashes,\" Ngudiyono said, adding
\nthat the handmade hair products from Karangbanjar were also
\ncheaper than those produced by the Korean companies.<\/p>\n
Ngudiyono, who has been in the business since 1980, also said
\nthat his products, like those of other producers in Karangbanjar,
\nwere made of either real hair that he obtains from beauty
\nsaloons, or synthetic hair that he buys in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Ngudiyono has 30 employees, mostly housewives. He said he
\ncould produce an average of 1,000 hairpieces, 500 cemara, 500
\nbuns in 35 different styles and 250 other types of hair product,
\nper month.<\/p>\n
\"We are now trying to develop a new product -- Muslim hair
\nbuns combined with a head covering, known as kerudung. We have
\nalready received orders for this particular product, which we
\ninvented ourselves,\" Ngudiyono said.<\/p>\n
Separately, Karangbanjar village head Atingah told the Post
\nthat the hair products from her village were indeed of export
\nquality. Yet, due to their limited knowledge of marketing and
\npromotion as well as of the exportation setup, they found it
\ndifficult to penetrate the wider international market.<\/p>\n
\"Lack of capital and shipping problems have been our main
\nproblems. Therefore, we are inviting investors to help us
\novercome these problems,\" Atingah said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/karangbanjar-has-wigs-for-all-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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