Parang Kencana pretty and chic designs, motifs

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It is exhilarating to see how batik has become more and more socialized.

Previously seen as a traditional fabric worn mostly by older people on formal occasions, batik has shifted into a more modern style that even young people like to wear.

"Our consumers used to be dominated by foreigners, at about 60 percent. But now, 90 percent of people who buy our products are local customers," Mariana Sutandi, owner of batik producer Parang Kencana, revealed recently.

The awareness of batik has increased among Indonesians, she added.

"The key is how to manage adapting to the latest (fashion) trends. Most customers prefer a more modern touch that is still batik, but isn't too heavy," Mariana said.

With this in mind, Parang Kencana unveiled the latest collections last week at its gallery in Kemang, South Jakarta.

Established in 1993, the batik producer is known for its wearable and modern silhouettes. They produce not only batik cloths, but also different kinds of blouses for women and shirts for men. The brand also produces home decorations like cushions, bed sheets and pillowcases.

All of Parang Kencana's products are hand-made, and are classified under five different lines, namely Parang Kencana, Parang Ayu, Soga, Tjindae and De Witte.

Except for its signature line, which derives from traditional batik designs with vertical motifs, the rest of the lines are categorized according to color: Parang Ayu focuses on blue and white, Soga on browns, and Tjindae is for striking colors, while De Witte is white with touches of pale colors.

"There are about 1,001 different colors, so people can get easily confused; so we categorize the batik to be more focused and to make production easier," said Mariana, adding that they have around 25 outlets spread throughout the capital, Bandung, Surabaya and Bali.

The latest line, De Witte, was launched only last month led by designer Susan Budihardjo. Aimed at a younger age group, the line has a more casual style.

Parang Kencana's products are priced according to the painstaking, detailed process it takes for their creation: by hand. Garments start from Rp 350,000, while a batik cloth may be worth up to Rp 6 million.

"There could be a batik cloth around the Rp 350,000 mark, but it would be a teeny, tiny scarf," Mariana said, laughing.

The main production center is located in the capital, but the company also owns factories in Pekalongan, Central Java, and Cirebon, West Java. The workers at the latter factory are apparently so skillful that they can produce very delicate batik products.

The fashion show last week presented a pretty and chic collection of batik, focusing on material produced with an airbrush technique. The batik also incorporated tie-dyes, as well as embroidery.

"The blue and white motif was inspired by Chinese porcelain. We also used extremely high temperatures to yield a raised texture," Mariana said.

Batik motifs derive from ancient, traditional motifs which have been reproduced on silk, organza and other fabrics.

While shirts for men only come in one style, the common long- sleeved type, the blouses for women come in a variety of styles. There are different modifications of kebaya (a traditional Indonesian blouse for women), and also kimono-like tops.

De Witte's products are simpler and more trendy, with ruffles and frills, and long dresses painted with gradations of color and raised textures.

"We still produce only ready-to-wear collections, and haven't yet gone into haute couture. We only aim at re-socializing batik to the Indonesian people, so that everyone will love it and wear it every day," Mariana said.