JP/14/Nelwan

JP/14/Nelwan

Nelwan uses haramay for fashionable outfits

Rita A. Widiadana
The Jakarta Post/Kuta,Bali

It was a memorable experience for Nelwan Anwar to dress
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and several Cabinet
members in white shirts and kebaya (traditional blouses) made
from haramay fiber, locally known as ramie Garut.

Haramay fiber (Boehmeria Nivea), more commonly known as
Chinese grass, has been generally neglected and overlooked as a
material for clothes, but in the hands of Nelwan it is lavish and
stylish.

"Clothes made of haramay fiber are suitable for a tropical
country like Indonesia. The material is light and comfortable,"
Nelwan said.

And with the country suffering from an energy crisis and the
use of air conditioners being frowned upon, now is a good time to
start wearing clothes that are thin and cool.

"It is, however, very difficult for me to convince Western-
oriented Indonesian people to try to wear local products, which
they consider cheap and unfashionable," Nelwan told The Jakarta
Post in Kuta recently.

He said he was pleased the President had worn ramie shirts on
a number of state occasions. "A leader should set a good
example."

The "We love Indonesian products" campaign, launched decades
ago during the New Order regime, has never been more than an
empty slogan, with most people still favoring foreign designers
and foreign-branded clothes, bags, shoes and accessories.

To promote local products, since 1995 Nelwan has been active
in researching and processing natural fibers for his creations,
including pineapple fibers, banana fibers and haramay.

"Indonesia has multiple sources of natural fibers but we have
not yet developed or processed them properly to add more value to
our commodities," Nelwan said.

The Philippines has successfully created national clothes
using pineapple fibers. "They (the Philippine people, including
the president and high-ranking government officials) are proud to
wear these clothes at various international events," Nelwan said.

Indonesia has numerous batik patterns, woven warp ikat
textiles and silk products that look as beautiful as textiles
made by overseas producers. "Indonesian batik is now facing a
threat from Malaysian producers who extensively promote our
products as their own. Singapore did a similar with its batik
patterns," Nelwan said.

Batik is used as formal attire here thanks to prominent
designers like Iwan Tirta who tirelessly develop and document the
textiles. Woven cloth endek from Bali and West Nusa Tenggara are
now tailored as uniforms by local officials.

"By using local materials, we not only promote our products
but also improve the welfare of poor farmers, traditional weavers
and many more people involved in the production," he said.

In designing and producing his clothes, Nelwan has
collaborated with hundreds of small-scale silk producers,
farmers and small-scale weavers in West and Central Java, Bali,
West and East Nusa Tenggara, Sumatra and Sulawesi.

Processing raw materials into finished products requires
meticulous and tireless efforts. It has always been a matter of
trial and error, said Nelwan, who will be honored with the ASEAN
Development Citra Award on Aug. 30 for his promotion of local
products.

In the case of haramay fiber, Nelwan is working with farmers
and traditional weavers from Wanaraja, 12 kilometers from Garut,
or about 90 kilometers north of the West Java provincial capital
of Bandung.

The farmers grow haramay plants on their land, while the
weavers process the grass into threads. It is a community-based
business that has transformed the previously economically
depressed area.

"We are still experimenting with various textile processing
techniques by using hand weaving or by using machinery in some
textile factories. The quality is, of course, different," he
said.

Nelwan and local weavers led by Hajjah Aminah Mussadad are now
trying to mix haramay fiber with genuine and artificial silk,
cotton, rayon and other materials.

Machine-made haramay textiles have a rougher texture and are
sold at local textile markets for between Rp 15,000 and Rp 80,000
per meter. The textiles can be used to upholster furniture, or
for curtains, bags, shoes, handicrafts or clothes.

The hand-woven haramay textile is much more luxurious and
expensive.

"In my last fashion show in Rome, Italy, and some other
European countries, I presented lines of collections made of
haramay," Nelwan said.

To create his glamorous clothes, Nelwan uses silver and golden
beads and elaborate embroidery. "Nobody recognized that such
fabulous gowns were made of haramay. I was very proud to tell my
European clientele and they really appreciated my creations,"
said Nelwan, who has received large orders from a number of
European countries and Mexico as well.

He realizes it will take a very long time before his creations
from haramay fiber are fully accepted by Indonesians.

It is hard to shift the negative perception of "Made-in-
Indonesia" products. It will require cooperation between textile
producers, designers, the media and fashion magazines.

One of his major objectives is to write a comprehensive book
on Indonesian textiles, natural fibers and textile-processing
techniques.

"I expect the coming book will provide a look at the richness
of Indonesian textiles and its natural textile materials," said
Nelwan.