Painted 'kebaya', Bali's new fashion trademark
Tri Vivi Suryani, Contributor, Denpasar, Bali
Traditional blouses, or kebaya, are inseparable from the lives of many Balinese women.
They wear lace, cotton or silk kebaya, along with intricate songket woven cloth or batik wrapped cloth, at almost every religious ceremony, family and communal gathering.
Like thousands of women on the island, Aryani Tedjamulya, who is better known as Niniek, feels extremely comfortable when wearing a kebaya.
"Kebaya is considered the national dress for Indonesian women, including the Balinese," said Niniek.
For Niniek, the kebaya is not only compulsory attire, but also a gold mine. Niniek has had a passion for art since she was young. As a child, she was always eager to help her mother make fashion sketches. Her mother, Susilanitya Dewi, is a successful garment producer.
Niniek, a graduate of the Department of English at Udayana University, has decided to blend fashion and art. She channels her painting skills not on canvas, but on silk fabrics.
A few years ago one of her mother's clients from France asked her to paint on textiles that were to be tailored for beachwear.
"I felt so challenged because I had never worked on textile," Niniek remembered.
It took her more than a year of experimenting with textile painting before perfecting the art.
"I carried out experiments on a large variety of textiles, but the results were so dissatisfying," she recalled.
Then she chose silk and began panting floral patterns on the fabric. "It was so amazing. The silk material originated from natural fibers. The paintings radiated so well on the fabric," said the mother of three.
Niniek said it took a lot of skill and precision to paint on silk. "Once you stroke your brush and create an object on the material, you can't erase it or you will destroy the fabric."
Producing painted kebaya has made her life as colorful as the objects she creates.
"Fresh and colorful flowers always bring happiness to those who see them," said Niniek, who expects that all her clients, including movie stars and local celebrities, feel happy when wearing the handmade kebaya.
Among her clients are artists Tamara Blezinsky and Vina Panduwinata. Even President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who generally wears a kebaya to state functions, has reportedly eyed Niniek's unique creations.
Most of her works contain paintings of flowers used in the various religious ceremonies of the Balinese Hindu, such as frangipani, lotus, roses, water lilies, orchids and jasmine.
"Bali is filled with sources of inspiration. I never run out of ideas. I am surrounded by beautiful nature and rich culture," Niniek said.
To maintain the quality of the pieces, Niniek refuses to mass produce the kebaya.
"I can only produce around 30 kebaya every month and I don't intend to increase my production because it could affect the quality of each kebaya," she said.
The price is another problem.
A 2-by-2.5 meter piece of painted silk costs between Rp 750,000 and Rp 1.5 million. Each handmade kebaya is priced from hundreds of thousands of rupiah to millions of rupiah, depending on the fabric and the motif of the painting.
"All the material, like the silk and paints, are imported. That's why the prices of my kebaya are quite expensive, but for certain they are exclusive," Niniek said, adding that each kebaya had a different painting motif.
She said she never intended to make a lot of money from her business. "Making a painted kebaya is one of my artistic expressions," said Niniek, who was named one of Indonesia's Creative Women in 2001 by a local women's magazine.
To cater to the middle-class market, Niniek has plans to produce a second line of kebaya. She has also diversified her product line to include such fashion items as evening gowns, cocktail dresses, shawls and ties.