Fashion designer experiments with silk, fibers

Fashion designer experiments with silk, fibers

By Agni Amorita

JAKARTA (JP): It is very rare to find young Indonesians who
are interested in traditional textiles. Yet Nelwan Anwar chose to
major in textiles at the Jakarta Arts Institute.

After graduating in 1979, Nelwan went on to further his
studies in traditional textiles on various islands of the
Indonesian archipelago.

"I must admit that 75 percent of my skills was acquired during
my practice in the field, much more than what I acquire during
college," commented Nelwan, who is now a renowned textile artist.
Nelwan's professional works are being displayed at Dharmawangsa
hotel, South Jakarta, from Tuesday until Friday. A fashion show
is also being held.

"During an economic crisis like this we must be bold and grab
opportunities for promotions or exports that may come
unexpectedly," he said. "I will also hold a similar event at the
Hilton Prague hotel on Nov. 13."

The gowns presented dominantly have the kebaya look, with
inspiration taken from the kebaya encim. Nelwan's latest
collection, which is made from silk and other material, has lots
of embroidery and glitter.

The textile exhibition and fashion show is a reflection of his
dedication to textile workers, who help Nelwan in his work. "I am
concerned with the fate of the workers, who greatly support my
business," said Nelwan, who has become a sort of foster father to
the hundreds of textile workers in several regions. "There are
more than 200 threadmakers in Soppeng, South Sulawesi. Hundreds
more fabric weavers in Sengkang Waju, also in South Sulawesi.
Then there are batik artists in Troso, Central Java. Also there
are embroiders in Tasik Malaya, West Java." With the support of
the textile workers, last August, Nelwan managed to establish a
fashion school in his name for people to study textiles.

At the fashion school, located on Jl. Melawai, South Jakarta,
Nelwan teaches how to manage a textile product through
texturizing, which emphasizes the thickness of silk fabric which
influences the degree of transparency. This is later made into
batik using a special candle.

"Here we conduct further studies on the use of hand tools on
textiles, the skill of which has become extinct in other
countries."

The use of the tools is very restricted. And it escalates the
price of the product.

"The whole process is rather time consuming. Making the thread
and producing the material may take up to 45 days. Then turning
the material into batik cloth may take 90 days," Nelwan explained
while showing his collection, items of which range from Rp
100,000 per piece to Rp 5 million per piece.

One of the main strengths Nelwan has in his work comes from
his research. Nelwan studied antique ornaments in several
museums, including the textile museum in Los Angeles and in large
European cities, to then recreated the designs on silk using
batik-making techniques. He chose silk because of the high sales
that it invites.

"Because I target high society when marketing my products,
silk is the obvious choice," Nelwan explained. Nelwan's fabrics
and ready-made clothes are mostly bought by the middle and upper
classes, also by foreigners.

During the exhibition, Nelwan also explains the process of
making silk, turning it into cloth, batik, or simply sewing
sequins onto the fabric. "All my works are always exclusive, they
are guaranteed to be genuine," Nelwan said.

Nelwan is also experimenting with other materials.

"Currently, I am experimenting with fibers," he said and went
on to demonstrate how to make fabric using different types of
natural fibers. Among the natural fibers are fiber from pineapple
plants mixed with silk; wood fiber which is treated like flax and
mixed with silk; fiber from the banana tree which is mixed with
silk and later made into batik; and the fiber of a sweet scented
wood which is mixed with silk and produces a fragrant material.

Besides experimenting with fibers, Nelwan is also testing a
technique which includes using dipped leafs to create a more
natural color.

"In developed countries, this type of research is always
backed by the government, say under the Ministry of Education and
Culture," Nelwan said,

"All this time we have been only supported in a personal
capacity, not by any official institution. I admit that in order
to raise funds and conduct research, I've encountered several
difficulties. I actually thought that in this field, it would
require the participation of all sorts of institutions
nationally."

Nelwan has a representative office in Kyoto, Japan, where he
still uses a simple trading system. The bachelor, who was an
assistant to fiber artist Harry Dharsono from 1981 to 1987, has
made significant achievements through the years. Among them is
winning the 1986 Indonesian Fashion Competition. He has since
participated professionally in the world of designing and fashion
and has held numerous exhibitions in North America, Latin America
and Europe.