Balinese designer Deni Wirawan's woven gown
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.
| 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.
Have you ever heard that, in some traditions, young women are required to weave their own pieces of cloth for a dowry? Yes, a skill in weaving is one requirement a young woman must meet before any man can propose to her. Why? Because, primarily, weaving is the domain of females and as such it symbolizes fertility and life.
But marriage is not the only life phase that involves weaving. Believed to be bestowed with magical spirits, woven fabrics are part of the everyday lives and rites of the majority of Indonesians.
From the moment they were born until they die, woven cloths are there to symbolize each phase of life — birth, adulthood, marriage, motherhood and death. Local traditions believe that special woven pieces represent their ancestors. After death, special rituals involving these woven cloths ensure that the deceased rejoin their ancestors, continuing the thread of life and death.
Although woven cloths are draped around people’s bodies across the archipelago — from Sumatra, Java, Bali and Kalimantan to Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Papua — each bears its own artistic patterns. Each style of woven cloth shows its distinctive character, in a representation of Indonesia’s diverse cultures.
Meitia Suty of the Cita Tenun Indonesia (the Indonesian Woven Cloths Society) reveals the dozens of weaving varieties in Indonesia.
Delicate and difficult patterns can be seen in the smooth-surfaced woven cloths from Aceh, Minangkabau and Palembang. These woven cloths are characterized by layered and tiled geometric patterns.
In contrast to these are the woven pieces from Bali and Nusa Tenggara, which feature simpler, figurative patterns that look dynamic, or the pieces from Badui, which are characterized by minimalist patterns in dark colors.
Furthermore, colors and motifs such as flora, fauna, geometric and other decorative shapes such as human and wayang (traditional puppet) figures used in weaving have particular meanings, and can even signify one’s rank within a society.
The square patterns in Badui woven cloths, for example, represent the state of balance between the horizontal and the vertical, which symbolizes the balanced relationship between the Badui people and their gods.
Just like the Badui, many other Indonesian tribes still strongly hold onto weaving traditions. Although this sounds like good news, however, it can’t be denied that over time, Indonesians have been starting to neglect these precious pieces. Just take a look around you: How many woven pieces of fabric do you see each day? Perhaps, when many of us hear about woven cloths, the images that pop to mind are of an old textile museum, or a collection belonging to our grandmothers.
“What has been missing in our modern society is the appreciation of woven textiles,” says Cut Kamaril Wardani, head of research and development at Cita Tenun Indonesia. “Maybe many have tried to revive woven textiles, but mostly, they link these efforts to the fashion [industry], while the heritage aspect itself has been forgotten.”
While it’s surely a good sign that woven textiles have become a part of the fashion industry, according to Cut and Tria, it’s the heritage aspect that could further develop people’s appreciation of woven textiles.
“We can’t only develop woven cloths [through fashion]; we must also preserve the heritage,” says Tria.
Considering that there are fewer and fewer young people today who are interested in learning how to weave, Tria says the focus should shift to traditional weaving centers, where guidance and training should be given to locals.
“In one way, if we support and encourage local weavers, they can continue weaving, thus the woven textiles could be preserved,” Tria says. Furthermore, she continues, “if they continue exploring their skills, they can develop woven textiles [in response to market demands].”
Era, on the other hand, as someone in the fashion industry, seeks to maintain a balance between fashion and cultural heritage. As carefully as she cuts her woven cloths into pieces, Era studies the philosophy behind the patterns before turning them into fashionable clothing.
“I always learn from the respected leaders [of a society] to gain information about what I can do with certain woven cloths,” says Era, who’s currently working with Badui woven cloths. “I have to make sure that the cloths I choose are suitable for apparel.”
Because, Era continues, she won’t separate the woven cloths from their philosophy.
“It has always been a challenge for a designer like me to create outfits made from woven cloth that can somehow make their wearers feel proud of what they’re wearing.”
In other words, Era says: The outfits can reflect the wearer’s pride in the fabrics as part of their nation’s identity.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/08/21/weaving-fashion-with-tradition.html
But marriage is not the only life phase that involves weaving. Believed to be bestowed with magical spirits, woven fabrics are part of the everyday lives and rites of the majority of Indonesians.
From the moment they were born until they die, woven cloths are there to symbolize each phase of life — birth, adulthood, marriage, motherhood and death. Local traditions believe that special woven pieces represent their ancestors. After death, special rituals involving these woven cloths ensure that the deceased rejoin their ancestors, continuing the thread of life and death.
Although woven cloths are draped around people’s bodies across the archipelago — from Sumatra, Java, Bali and Kalimantan to Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Papua — each bears its own artistic patterns. Each style of woven cloth shows its distinctive character, in a representation of Indonesia’s diverse cultures.
Meitia Suty of the Cita Tenun Indonesia (the Indonesian Woven Cloths Society) reveals the dozens of weaving varieties in Indonesia.
Delicate and difficult patterns can be seen in the smooth-surfaced woven cloths from Aceh, Minangkabau and Palembang. These woven cloths are characterized by layered and tiled geometric patterns.
In contrast to these are the woven pieces from Bali and Nusa Tenggara, which feature simpler, figurative patterns that look dynamic, or the pieces from Badui, which are characterized by minimalist patterns in dark colors.
Furthermore, colors and motifs such as flora, fauna, geometric and other decorative shapes such as human and wayang (traditional puppet) figures used in weaving have particular meanings, and can even signify one’s rank within a society.
The square patterns in Badui woven cloths, for example, represent the state of balance between the horizontal and the vertical, which symbolizes the balanced relationship between the Badui people and their gods.
Just like the Badui, many other Indonesian tribes still strongly hold onto weaving traditions. Although this sounds like good news, however, it can’t be denied that over time, Indonesians have been starting to neglect these precious pieces. Just take a look around you: How many woven pieces of fabric do you see each day? Perhaps, when many of us hear about woven cloths, the images that pop to mind are of an old textile museum, or a collection belonging to our grandmothers.
“What has been missing in our modern society is the appreciation of woven textiles,” says Cut Kamaril Wardani, head of research and development at Cita Tenun Indonesia. “Maybe many have tried to revive woven textiles, but mostly, they link these efforts to the fashion [industry], while the heritage aspect itself has been forgotten.”
While it’s surely a good sign that woven textiles have become a part of the fashion industry, according to Cut and Tria, it’s the heritage aspect that could further develop people’s appreciation of woven textiles.
“We can’t only develop woven cloths [through fashion]; we must also preserve the heritage,” says Tria.
Considering that there are fewer and fewer young people today who are interested in learning how to weave, Tria says the focus should shift to traditional weaving centers, where guidance and training should be given to locals.
“In one way, if we support and encourage local weavers, they can continue weaving, thus the woven textiles could be preserved,” Tria says. Furthermore, she continues, “if they continue exploring their skills, they can develop woven textiles [in response to market demands].”
Era, on the other hand, as someone in the fashion industry, seeks to maintain a balance between fashion and cultural heritage. As carefully as she cuts her woven cloths into pieces, Era studies the philosophy behind the patterns before turning them into fashionable clothing.
“I always learn from the respected leaders [of a society] to gain information about what I can do with certain woven cloths,” says Era, who’s currently working with Badui woven cloths. “I have to make sure that the cloths I choose are suitable for apparel.”
Because, Era continues, she won’t separate the woven cloths from their philosophy.
“It has always been a challenge for a designer like me to create outfits made from woven cloth that can somehow make their wearers feel proud of what they’re wearing.”
In other words, Era says: The outfits can reflect the wearer’s pride in the fabrics as part of their nation’s identity.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/08/21/weaving-fashion-with-tradition.html