End of an era for Yogyakarta's 'blangkon'

By Simon Sudarman

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The golden age of the traditional Javanese men's cap made out of batik fabric, which is locally known as blangkon, has almost faded away.

Now, only two families are still producing blangkon in Pronosutan, a craft center known for its Yogyakarta-style blangkon production which is located in Nanggulan district, Kulon Progo regency, some 30 km west of the city center.

Earlier, when the uniquely-shaped blangkon enjoyed its heyday prior to 1960, there were some 25 families involved in blangkon production.

The business is said to have started to decline somewhere around the 1960s, but according to veteran blangkon businessman Praptowiyono, the business really got worse in 1965 when batik clothing and the peci (men's black cap) were declared to be the national costume.

"But I will keep running my business. I'm sure that as long as the Yogyakarta palace and its Sultan (king) exist, the blangkon business will continue to survive as the cap represents Yogyakarta's special character," said the 64-year-old man who has been in business from 1953 until now.

When he started his business in the 1990s, Praptowiyono and his five assistants could produce an average of eight blangkon per day. The blangkon were then sold in the Beringhardjo market in Yogyakarta.

"But that is an old story. Now, I no longer produce as many blangkon as I used to. In creating blangkon, I don't emphasize quantity anymore, but rather quality," Praptowiyono said.

He realizes that blangkon are losing out against competition from batik clothing and peci. And consumers prefer buying these instead of blangkon, he added.

Now, he is assisted solely by his son and wife. He is only capable of producing about one or two blangkon per day. In marketing his product, he mostly relies on word of mouth.

"Producing a blangkon needs talent, patience. One should not get easily upset because the process involves a harmonious blend of heart and mind," Praptowiyono said.

Since his production is now limited, customers, including foreign tourists from France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States, sometimes have to order the products by directly coming to Praptowiyono's house.

Sometimes, a customer may have to wait up to two or three weeks to get the desired blangkon. But the wait is worth it, as the product should last for about five years.

To date, his products have also spread as far as Bandung, Jakarta, Surabaya, Solo and Semarang.

"If you watch (the traditional comedy show) Ketoprak Humor on RCTI, you'll see that they are wearing my blangkon. RCTI once placed an order with me for 200 blangkon," he said.

Besides being officially worn by servants when they present themselves to the king, blangkon are also popular among artists and are one of Yogyakarta's famous souvenir items.

Farming

Although he is well-known for his blangkon, Praptowiyono is also a farmer.

For him, farming is a way to exercise and helps him not to get tired easily when creating blangkon.

However, he also admitted that his blangkon business did not earn him much money. Blangkon are sold for between Rp 50,000 and Rp 90,000 each. Most customers, however, prefer to order those priced between Rp 50,000 and Rp 60,000.

The price of a blangkon depends on the material being used. The most expensive blangkon is made from a fine handmade batik fabric, which could cost one hundreds of thousands of rupiah.

Most of the time, Praptowiyono will ask his clients to bring their own material so he only has to make the blangkon. He said that if he had to buy the material on his own, his blangkon would be very expensive.

With the limited number of customers interested in purchasing blangkon, Praptowiyono is unable to do much to improve his meager income.

He quietly added that unlike the time when blangkon were still in their heyday, most people now only buy blangkon when they had to.

In 1999, Kulon Progo regency's industrial development office started a program to prevent the extinction of the blangkon business. However, the program was more concerned with the business development aspect rather than human resources.

Under the program, blangkon craftsman received a Rp 450,000 cash injection to procure tools, such as sewing machines, thread, mats and plonco, a wooden object shaped like a man's head which is used to measure the blangkon.

But Praptowiyono greeted the program without much enthusiasm.

"The program will not do much to help since there are not so many young men around who can make blangkon. Let's say there are plenty of orders coming in. Who is going to fill them?"