Pedan's fabrics attract foreign buyers

By Kartika Bagus C.

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): While machine-made fabrics dominate the garment industry, traditionally made woven fabric from Pedan in Klaten, Central Java, is still treasured by both local and foreign consumers.

For a long time, Pedan, which is located 1.5 hours drive west of Surakarta, has long been known as the center of Java's woven fabric industry.

The economic crisis, which forced some businesses to close down, did not affect Pedan's woven textile industry.

One businessman, Rachmad, 68, said the crisis did not reduce demands for his products since almost all of his buyers were from abroad. And his buyers did not bother to bargain, he added.

"So if the prices of materials increase, we simply hike the fabric price," said the man who has been in the business for 40 years.

Thanks to his flourishing business, the man now has three similar businesses and employs 150 workers. He also has two showrooms to display his finished products -- one in Pedan and the other in Bali. In November this year, he is planning to open a showroom in Jakarta.

The history of Pedan's industry began during the era of Dutch colonization. Then, the industry was controlled by three brothers, Suhadi, Wiryo Sudiro and Sumarno. The most famous fabric at that time was Kapas and this was mostly sold in traditional markets.

However, during the war in 1940, Pedan's industries went bankrupt and all of the workers, who had to earn a living for their families, set up business of their own.

Only in 1950 did Pedan's industry start to grow again. Then, hundreds of businessmen enjoyed a glorious business climate as fabric for clothing was the most sought-after basic need. Unfortunately, with the high demand, many weavers neglected the quality of the woven fabrics they created.

The most desired motifs then were Kijing Miring, Riding Putung, Mbang Sembukan, Sodho Sak Ler, Tumbar Pecah, Ketan Ireng and Dom Lecer. But in line with market demand, those motifs were rarely produced by the weavers but were replaced by new motifs which were dominated by either horizontal or vertical lines.

The glory days of this traditional industry only lasted for eight years.

"Many companies collapsed because they could not compete with machinery," Rachmad recalled.

It was not until the 1980s that the traditional woven industry in Pedan started to develop again amid the presence of machine- made woven fabrics.

Rachmad insisted that the handmade woven fabric was superior in quality compared to that produced by machine.

He admitted that the handmade process made it impossible to produce large quantities of the product since it took a long time to finish one hand-woven fabric. However, the result is exclusive, and most of his clients keep on coming back to the village, he added.

"They keep coming because they cannot find products such as those produced by Pendan's weavers in textile shops," said the father of three.

Despite its simplicity, some 9,000 meters of woven fabric can be produced in a month through the handmade process.

Raw materials needed to produce woven fabric are cotton, or linen and natural fibers. Some 181 kg of materials are required monthly, which is worth around Rp 160 million, while the monthly turnover is more than Rp 90 million.

There are three kinds of products created: fabrics for garments, interior and exterior decorations, such as various sizes of pillow cases, shawls, lace curtains and table cloths. It is the fabric for garments that makes up the bulk of the material produced.

Prices for the products are varied. For instance, a shawl might cost between Rp 10,000 and Rp 50,000 each. Other products can cost hundreds of thousands rupiah each.

In producing woven fabrics, Rachmad also experimented with the use of assorted natural fibers, such as fragrant grass, water hyacinth and pineapple fiber, to satisfy his customers. He also introduced natural dyes instead of chemical ones.

Rachmad said that his foreign buyers prefer the natural dying process. To create the natural coloring, he experiments with such things as mahogany bark for brown colors and papaya leaves for green.

His products are sold across the country while his foreign buyers come from Australia, Britain, France, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States.

In marketing his products, Rachmad mostly relies on word of mouth. However, he also provides his products to big hotels.

Although his products have gained popularity here and abroad, Rachmad has restrained from exporting his products on a big scale simply to rake in more profit. "I will not do it (export on a big scale) to maintain the products' exclusivity and assure client satisfaction."