A woven dress by Balinese designer Deni Wirawan
Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 08/21/2009 11:16 AM | Life
“I truly don’t have the heart to cut woven fabrics,” says fashion designer Era Soekamto. “To lose even one centimeter of them makes me so disappointed.”
Era’s words make it plain just how precious woven fabrics are for her. And cutting woven fabrics into pieces and sewing them together into an item of clothing is not as easy for her as when she uses modern textiles.
“I know very well what it takes to make just a single piece of woven cloth: It’s such a difficult job,” says Era, whose fashionable creations have breathed new life into traditional woven textiles.
“Difficult” is perhaps an understatement. Weaving one piece of cloth can take weeks or even months. It requires patience, care and genuine creativity to make this priceless legacy.
“Woven cloths are made with taste,” says Tria Basuki, an expert in woven textiles. “People who dedicate their lives to these cloths weave with intuition — they aren’t like modern textile designers who need to make the patterns first before making their creations,” she adds.
But the process is just one part of weaving. Embedded within those colorful threads are stories and philosophies that make woven textiles more than just pieces of cloth.
“I truly don’t have the heart to cut woven fabrics,” says fashion designer Era Soekamto. “To lose even one centimeter of them makes me so disappointed.”
Era’s words make it plain just how precious woven fabrics are for her. And cutting woven fabrics into pieces and sewing them together into an item of clothing is not as easy for her as when she uses modern textiles.
“I know very well what it takes to make just a single piece of woven cloth: It’s such a difficult job,” says Era, whose fashionable creations have breathed new life into traditional woven textiles.
“Difficult” is perhaps an understatement. Weaving one piece of cloth can take weeks or even months. It requires patience, care and genuine creativity to make this priceless legacy.
“Woven cloths are made with taste,” says Tria Basuki, an expert in woven textiles. “People who dedicate their lives to these cloths weave with intuition — they aren’t like modern textile designers who need to make the patterns first before making their creations,” she adds.
But the process is just one part of weaving. Embedded within those colorful threads are stories and philosophies that make woven textiles more than just pieces of cloth.