Delegates take home Batik Garutan
Delegates take home Batik Garutan
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
The heads of the delegations attending the commemorative summit
in Bandung went home with more than just a stack of documents on
Sunday, as they each received a special package containing batik
from Garut, West Java.
A total of 106 special gifts containing batik cloth and shirts
were presented by West Java Governor Danny Setiawan to the
delegates during lunch at the Governor's Mansion.
Popularly known as "Batik Garutan", the batik industry and its
handmade designs are a source of pride in West Java, which is
only starting to pull out of recession after being severely
effected by the 1997 economic crisis.
Memet Hamdan, chairman of the West Java Investment Board, said
the commemorative summit would help promote West Java batik on
the international market.
The popularity of Batik Garutan reached its peak between the
1960s and the mid-1980s, with about 126 companies operating in
the small town of Garut, located about 110 kilometers southeast
of Bandung.
The local batik industry all but collapsed in the wake of the
economic crisis, reportedly leaving just three companies still in
business by 2000.
One of the survivors is Uba Sri Musaodah Muharam, whose batik
factory in Garut began producing in 1976. The 54-year-old
businesswoman received orders to produce batik for the
commemorative summit some three months ago.
Uba refused to reveal the price of the batik saying only that
price was not the issue given the promotional value involved.
Nevertheless, the average price of good quality handmade Batik
Garutan ranges from Rp 1.8 million to Rp 8.5 million per item.
Unlike other traditional batiks from other parts of Java
island, Batik Garutan does not have specific motifs. Many of its
designs are considered quite contemporary. Its distinctiveness
lies in its light colors and the incorporation of motifs from
other regions.
The basic cloth used can consist of various types of material,
including cotton and Thai silk.