Ways to Preserve Surabaya’s Traditional

Clothing and BatikClothing 1

Chiquitta, Ameelya, Anastasya, Gracelynn

From our survey results, it is clear that most

people that we’ve interviewed had little knowledge about Surabaya batik. Now the understanding is really poor, based on the survey result no one answered all of the questions completely.

Introduction

There are lots of countries that have known Batik,

such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Azerbaijan and China. After they understood batik, they made clothing with the motifs which looked like batik motifs in the form of printing. The major difference between their clothing and our batik is the techniques used and the colours. Original batik was made using a manual wax-dyeing technique. Most the colours of clothing from other countries were strong colours, whilst most of Indonesia’s clothing colours are softer.

Who Has Recognized Surabaya’s Traditional

Clothing and Batik?

Malaysia’s Batik

This is the batik from Malaysia, which was inspired by batik from Indonesia. Mostly this batik shows large floral motifs, and is light and vibrant in coloring.

This is the batik from Thailand, which was inspired from Indonesian batik. They mostly use the batik to make shirts and blouses. The motifs that are commonly used are coconut shells, beaches, palm trees, the island’s tropical flowers, fishing boats, its rich water life and southern dancers. These motifs are used because it represents Thailand.

Thailand’s Batik

This is batik from China, also inspired by Indonesia. The traditional costumes are made up of decorative fabrics. Mostly they use the cloth for skirts, panels on jackets, aprons and baby carriers.

China’s Batik

Surabaya Traditional Clothing and Batik

Other Coutnries Batik Clothing

MOTIF: is a repeated design, shape, or pattern

The motifs of the clothes are designed based on the place’s/country’s culture. The motif will show clearly the identity of the place/country.

Mostly it represents Surabaya’s identity/history like having motifs of semanggi, mangrove, tugu pahlawan, suro dan boyo, cock (Sawunggaling), Cheng Ho boat, and their modifications.

Represents their own culture and their identity.

STYLE:The style of the clothes are designed based on the communities

perspective and need, so it likes what they think is comfortable and functional and what they appreciate it for. It means that it could come

from the other aspects too, like the personalities and people’ qualities too.

Differences of Surabaya’s Traditional Clothing and Batik with Other Countries

Clothing

Surabaya Traditional Clothing and Batik

Other Clothing

For Boys; they use two pieces of clothing, which is a shirt and long skirt that is called a “Jarit Parikesit”. The shirt usually uses different kinds and numbers of buttons. There are pockets with a handkerchief in a triangle shape and the color is red. For accessories, from the pocket there is a gold watch hanging. For girls, they wear mostly the Kebaya and a scarf or veil that have some decorations with bright colosr. Kebaya and the veil use the similar color.

There are more than fifty designs of clothes for each country. Each of the designs represents their own culture. But some designs are mixed between their own culture with other country’s cultures. For example like China, they use Indonesia (Surabaya) batik materials for some smart clothes. They modify the batik motif with their own cultural colours and patterns. Most of the batik motifs are modified to a flower pattern with some colors that represents their culture.

COLORS:The colors that the artists use are based on the country’s personality and their qualities. Each color that they use has its own meanings. They both mostly use lots of colors and can be similar. But the different approach is when they mixing and combining the colors.Boys and girls use different colors. Usually boys wear pure and also crème. For girls, they usually wear pink, red, orange and other bright colors.

Mostly other countries use many different colors, but not on one piece of clothing. Sometimes two, three or four colors are mixed together.

Actions that society have

taken to promote

Surabaya’s Traditional

Clothing and Batik

More special events are held to promote tradiutrional clothing, like

Surabaya anniversary celebrations, Cak dan Ning events and others.

By wearing traditional clothing to formal Surabaya events (enforcing a dress code) both in particular areas of event or a TV presenter of its program.

Holding exhibitions/cultural fairs. Through advertisements on TV, magazine, newsletter, etc. By selling traditional clothing in many places (mall, tourists

venues, etc). Creating a websites to promote Surabaya culture, which clothing is

a part of it. It can explain the history and philosophy of the clothing.

Print out on public transportation that helps people to recognize it.

Traditional Clothing

Introduce and discuss the importance of Batik both national and internationally.

The Batik community of East Java made exhibitions to promote batik in the House of Sampoerna at Surabaya.

People hold a batik fashion show (ready to wear), so when the viewers like it they will buy it.

Make a Batik Day. People use a shopping website (online shop) so they can buy

batik from the website. People promote batik through social media (poster,

newspapers-Jawa Post, Surabaya Pos-, magazines, flyer, etc) It becomes uniform of some school and offices. Make a commitment to developing its motifs (Batik Saraswati

and Batik Mangrove) .

Surabaya Batik

Wearing batik more often in different occasions both for formal and non formal,

because the more we wear it the more people will recognize it. Making a collection of Surabaya batik, with its explanation and philosophy. Display

them in exhibitions or galleries. Making it a part of the house, office or mall decorations. Making other clothing items from batik, like hats, tie, scarf, shoes, bags and key

chains, so people will know about batik more and more. Promoting batik in social media because many people are using social media

networks. Promoting batik worldwide on websites. Introducing and promoting batik and Indonesian clothing to foreigners. Sharing information about Surabaya batik to the population because from sharing

information, we know more information about Surabaya Batik. Attending some events (Surabaya anniversary, batik exhibition/fashion, ‘cak dan

ning’ events).

Effective Ways to Promote Surabaya Traditional Clothing

and Batik

Agusfanani. “How to Maintain Batik and Make

it Long Lasting.” [Online] Available http://agusfanani.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Maintain-Batik-and-Make-it-Long-Lasting, February 14th 2013.

Yulisman, Linda. “Promoting Batik to a World-Class Product.” [Online] Available http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/09/29/promoting-batik-a-world-class-product.html, February 14th 2013.

Resources

Lulut. Personal Interview. February 8th 2013. Wordpress. “Surabaya Batik Course/ Tour

Package.” http://www.javaisbeautiful.com/our_tours/cruise-ship-service-tours/batik-surabaya-tour.html/, February 14th 2013.

Feli, Felicia. “Batik Gringsing exhibition in Surabaya.” http://www.demotix.com/news/1488052/batik-gringsing-exhibition-surabaya#media-1488014, February 14th 2013.

Agam, Yousri. “Cak dan Ning Panggilan Akrab Arek Surabaya.” http://rajaagam.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/cak-dan-ning-panggilan-akrab-arek-surabaya/, February 20th 2013.