Indonesian Batik: A living Heritage, Jakarta & Solo

On January 25th, 2012 the exhibition "Indonesian Batik: A living Heritage" opens its doors for Batik enthusiasts at Galeri Nasional, Jakarta.

Galeri Nasional
Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur No. 14
Jakarta 10110

From 13-19 February the exhibition will be shown in Solo, at the City Hall (Balai Kota):

Pendapi Gede
Komplek Balaikota
Surakarta

Jun Rodino Artajo: Filippino Fashion Designer Steals the Show

By: Jesse Pizarro Boga

He’s a fashion blogger when he’s facing his computer. He’s an active Lookbook.nu user when he’s trigger happy with his camera. He’s a fashion design instructor when he’s at the Philippine Women’s College of Davao.

Jun Rodino Artajo seems to be doing to too much. And he doesn’t know when to stop.

And why should he? He’s definitely going places (in fabulous outfits, of course) now that his life in the fashion world has taken off after he waves in a design contest that’s said to be a gateway to the fashion industry.

His creation called Dreamweaver was selected as one of the top 50 (out of 2,500!) to strut the ramp of Meguro Gajoen Hotel for the Japan Fashion Design Contest. And being a finalist wasn’t just what he ended up with: Dreamweaver zoomed past the others as it won second place in the competition, beating designs of fashion students and designers from France, Russia, Belgium, and Germany.

Reintroducing Lasem’s Brilliant Batik

By: Labodalih Sembiring

Batik is a cloth with distinct local and traditional patterns, created by a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on October 2, 2009. As part of the acknowledgment, UNESCO insisted that Indonesia preserve their heritage. Then why would batik need reintroduction? This article talks about a kind of batik you don’t typically see: Lasem batik.

The Javanese batik can generally be divided into two kinds: kraton (court) batik and pesisir (coastal) batik. The kind of batik motifs you are probably familiar with are the ones from Yogyakarta and Solo—the kraton type. Out of all kinds of coastal batik, generally the batik from Pekalongan gets into the limelight most often, even though batik from Lasem is just as fascinating, if not more.

Rismakill Drama Darkcloth: Indonesian D.I.Y. Fetish/Punk/Gothic Clothes & Corsets

By: Monica Dominguez

D.I.Y. in Indonesia, a National Attitude 

Indonesia is laced with a D.I.Y. ‘Do It Yourself’ mentality. If your motorcycle breaks, you buy the parts and the tools and fix it yourself, or even better, use a makeshift part. If you want to make some money, you start cooking gorengan or make crafts from leather, tin or wood.  Throughout this country almost the entire population is ‘doing it themselves’, unlike in the Western world where the D.I.Y. mentality has only caught on in select groups or subcultures.

What sets Risma apart from most of the population in Bandung is not that she makes everything by hand herself, but it is what she is making.  Risma makes fetish, punk and gothic clothes and accessories by hand. She is also a makeup artist. Most well known for her corsets, which are beautifully stitched lace and wire pieces, Risma models her style based on influence from European subcultures as well as her own imagination. It usually takes Risma only one day to make a corset, depending on whether she is in a ‘sewing mood’ or not.

Fashion Forward, Indonesia’s Tex Saverio Turns Fabric to Gold

By: Emma Kwee

Indonesian fashion designer Tex Saverio set the stage during the 2010 Jakarta Fashion Week. His designs, reminiscent of Alaxander MC Queen’s avant garde, Valentino’s glamour and Galliano’s feel for drama didn’t go unnoticed. Pop icon Lady Gaga (the dream muze of many a designer), wrapped herself up in a dress by the young Jakarta designer for a photoshoot in Harper’s Bazaar magazine.

Saverio took the limelight for the first time in 2005 when he won the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Asia Fashion Award. The designer, now aged 26, quickly grew into a national style icon and was chosen to conclude the Jakarta Fashion Week. He did this in style with his collection ‘Glacon,’ inspired by the contradictory characteristics of ice, a seemingly light and delicate substance, that nevertheless feels strong and unbreakable. His runway show was met with a standing ovation.

His new collection is called Midas, named after the Greek king who tragically turned everything he loved into gold. Including his food and his children. The pieces in the collection are golden…a tongue in cheek reference to Saverio’s capacity to turn fabric into gold?

Time for Latitudes.nu to interview the man about his work, his inspiration and his sense of style!