Indonesian traditional clothing

Traditional clothes are a reflection of the people. When one thinks of Indonesia, the image of
beautiful Balinese dancers dressed in fine blazing fabrics with golden headdresses and
accessories usually comes to mind. However, few people know that Indonesia is divided into over
thirty provinces each with a wide array of different traditional clothing.

Batik, kebaya and sarong: 

Most traditional Indonesian costumes belong to three cultures; Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese.
For example, the kebaya and the batik cloth. As many other Southeast-Asian countries,
Indonesian men and women traditionally wear a sarong, a long piece of cloth wrapped around the
body from the waist down.

Batik and peci:

The appropriate men’s attire for a wedding, a ceremony, an important meeting or any celebration,
consists of a traditional sarong with a batik shirt. The patterns on those two pieces of clothes
varies depending on the region.  Batik is classified as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

Batik shirts, the men’s traditional Indonesian attire

A number of political personalities including Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia, helped
popularize the peci or songkok. This black cap worn by Muslim men, similar to the Turkish or
Egyptian fez, has become the national headdress for formal occasions. The peci is an essential
attribute to the presidential outfit and the government officials.

The kebaya for Indonesian women:

The kebaya, traditionally worn by Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese women is now considered a
national costume. This long sleeve blouse made of silk, cotton, semi-transparent nylon or
brocade is worn with a batik sarong. The hair is normally tied into a bun and decorated with gold
or silver hairpins but since a few years, many Muslim women choose to wear a Muslim
veil, jilbab or hijab, instead of the traditional hair style.

Balinese women wearing the traditional kebaya during a religious procession

In the past, such apparels belonged to royal families and Indonesian aristocracy. Later, the wives
of the Dutch colonizers adopted them. Nowadays, a kebaya with batik sarong are widely used
throughout Indonesia for diverse kinds of events or celebrations.   On formal occasions, the
kebaya is to women what the peci is to men. Thus, the first lady of the republic is frequently seen
attending official national or international events wearing a kebaya.

The regional Indonesian costumes  

The regional outfits called baju adat or baju daerah, represent the different ethnic groups. Hats
and headdresses differ in each area. For example, the Udeng is the Balinese headscarf while
the blangkon is typically Javanese. The motifs and the folding methods are different.

Gold and crowns: symbols of Indonesian cultural wealth

Women’s headdresses are also specific to each area. The jamang is the crown worn by
the Balinese and Javanese dancers. This splendid ornament comes from the Hindu Buddhist
era. In Sumatra, the Minang bride wears a suntiang, which looks quite different from the
Javanese jamang.  There are various models of crowns throughout the country, some are
especially for traditional dances, others for wedding ceremonies.
Indonesian dancers like colourful and glittery costumes with golden ornaments.  Just like
the jamang takes us back to the Hindu-Buddhist era, the Ramayana ballet and its flamboyant
costumes, will remind us of ancient kingdoms where the Indian saga was interpreted with dance
and theatre.

There are still many different models of traditional clothes. For example, the baju koko is a shirt
worn by Muslim man on religious occasions. Like the batik shirt, it is worn with a sarong and
a peci. In a certain community of Sumatra, women wear baju kurung, a Malay style tunic. In
the south of Sulawesi island, the Bugis women have the traditional baju bodo with short sleeves.

At home, Indonesian women like to wear loose and comfortable dresses called daster. In recent
years, more and more Muslim women cover their hair and neck with a veil, jilbab or hijab.

Indonesian fashion: between tradition and modernity

Today’s Indonesian dress code refers to the history of the country’s various cultural groups. If
you take time to observe and research a little bit on the topic, you will discover the incredible
diversity of traditional clothes and their influence on contemporary fashion. A number of
Indonesian artists and prestigious designers create awesome collections inspired by traditional
fabrics and costumes. Think of Tex Saverio or Biyan Wanaatmadja, who both repeatedly amazed
the world of haute-couture with their modern yet, traditional creations.

Indonesian fashion designer, Anne Avantie, showing her collection at the Jakarta Fashion Week 2015

The museum Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in Jakarta has an entire section dedicated to

traditional Indonesian costumes with an exhaustive collection representing each region and each
ethnic group of the archipelago. If you go to Bali, you might run into a Hindu ceremony or
procession and see Balinese people wearing their best attire
Background &Introduction
Batik is the method of using wax and wax-resistant dyes to design cloth. The name is
Javanese in origin, derived from the word amba, which means ‘to write’, and titik, meaning
‘dot’.

The word refers to the act of drawing Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic designs or images into
cloth by means of wax (tempera) applied with brushstrokes.

Batik is most commonly used in East and Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and
Malaysia, but also found in other parts of Africa, the Middle East, North America and
Europe. In recent years batik has received greater attention through its use in fashion design.
However, batik is not just a form of art but also has become a national industry in Indonesia
with potential for development.

The roots of batik are found in the Javanese past, especially in connection with sacred
writings on wood and bamboo, which are believed to be spiritually powerful items. The
technique is still used to this day for making magical auras and talismans. Wooden items are
carved with intricate patterns and symbols found on batiks today. Because of the time-
consuming carving process, some patterns were simplified, leaving large areas of solid wood
and areas with more intricate designs. After carving the wood, it is painted and assembled
into a sort of storyboard in order to prevent fluctuations in the wood. It is then coated with
layers of wax and manually colored (through aniline dyes).

Once the wax has been applied and dried, the wooden piece is dipped into melted wax several
times to create a thicker layer over all surfaces. After this process, the wood is carved again
by hand or using a CNC machine and coated with wax again. The wood block is now ready
to be mounted on a base cloth using more layers of wax. Depending on the region of
Indonesia and its culture, the patterns can vary between different original cultures, but each
pattern tells a certain story typically about rice or rice farming. The process of making batik
is not difficult, but it is extremely time-consuming and requires at least two people.

Batik making is quite an extensive process because it requires several skills from drawing to
waxing. Batik-printing technology has been perfected through the years resulting in more
intricate and colorful patterns. While the process of using wax and traditional dyes has been
handed down through generations, the use of modern dyes to create more interactive designs
has made batik much more accessible to the public. 
Batik & Culture
As traditional pieces that reflect culture, batik clothing is often worn to celebrations and
ceremonies; in recent years, many have also started donning vibrant, modern batik as casual
wear on the streets, or as a laid-back fit for a day at the beach.

Batik is becoming more popular in Western consumer markets. This is especially true for the
high-end fashion industry. To date, several large luxury brands have started to incorporate
batik into their collections, as well as independent designers.

In recent years, Indonesian batik has become trendy and is making a comeback in fashion.
Indonesian batik was added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2009 and
is recognized by UNESCO as a historical fabric of human civilization, an important
recognition for both the batik and its history. In 2013 and 2014, the London Fashion Week
was declared the “Batik Capital of the World” by the Indonesian embassy.

The batik industry has grown and the art has been embraced by many different countries
worldwide, including Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria, India, and Sri Lanka where the different
quality types of batik clothing are sold.

Batik is a traditional fabric art form from Indonesia that has become popular in Malaysia.
Batik fabric painting is a painstaking process that requires months to complete even a single
shirt. The patterns used in batik are often very symbolic and cultural. Batik shirts make for a
great way to express national pride, whether you’re wearing them for business or pleasure.
Men wear this traditional garment in both formal and casual situations—at weddings, for
example—and you’ll see them wearing them in meetings, on the beach, and at home. Batik
originated in Indonesia, where it is known as “to wax.” Batik shirts are produced using the
same method as candles, hence the Indonesian phrase for “to wax” led to the creation of the
word “batik.” Batik shirts come in a variety of styles, including long-sleeved shirts, short-
sleeved shirts, and everything in between.

Wearing of the Batik Shirt

Batik is one of Indonesia’s most identifiable cultural icons, and it has been used to embellish
textiles for hundreds of years. A batik shirt is embellished by pouring melted wax onto fabric
and then immersing it in a colorant. The combination of heat and dye results in a gradient
pattern that changes with every shift in the light. Since each piece of fabric is completely
unique, each batik shirt is one of a kind. Mens batik shirts come in both long and short
sleeves, and are made from a variety of different fabrics, including cotton, silk, and wool.
There are a few different ways to wear batik shirts. They can be worn with a suit or in place
of a shirt to create a more casual look. Batik shirts are a great choice for people who want to
break away from the ordinary and wear something truly unique. They are a great way to
express national pride, and they are a great way to learn about Indonesia’s rich culture.

Batik shirts have been worn by men for centuries, and they have come to represent
Indonesian culture. Batik shirts are very versatile; they can be worn in formal and casual
settings. The traditional batik shirt is made from hand-dyed cotton or silk, but you can find
many different types of batik shirts that use different materials such as polyester, wool and
viscose. They come in short-sleeved and long-sleeved versions and you can find them in
many different styles including short sleeved shirts and long sleeved shirts.

The batik shirt has been worn by Indonesian men for hundreds of years as a symbol of their
national identity. Nowadays it is widely used around the world as an expression of national
pride, especially in countries with strong Indonesian communities such as Malaysia,
Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Batik is also popularly used by Malaysian men as a
component piece of the traditional Malay attire called the “baju melayu”.

Styles ofBatik Shirts

Batik shirts are also popular among fans of traditional music. The long-sleeved batik shirt is
the traditional attire for Indonesian gamelans, and the short-sleeved version is worn by Java’s
Balinese performers.

There are many different styles of batik shirts. Some have sleeves that fall below the elbow,
while others have sleeves that end at the wrist. Some are made from cotton, while others are
made from silk or wool.

Styling Batik Shirts

Batik shirts can be worn in formal settings and they can also be worn in casual settings. They
can be worn with a suit to create a more formal look or they can be worn unbuttoned with a
pair of jeans to create a more informal look. They can also be used to spice up outfits that are
already quite formal; you could wear one with a tuxedo jacket or blazer to create an
interesting outfit for an evening event such as a wedding or black tie event. If you want to
make your outfit even more casual, you could wear one over a T-shirt or polo shirt to create
an even more relaxed look. You could also wear it by itself in place of a shirt if you want to
show off your Indonesian pride and cultural heritage without wearing anything else on top.
You could even wear it as part of your pajamas if you want an extravagant nightwear
ensemble; batik shirts come in very comfortable fabrics so they will feel great when you
sleep in them! Because there are so many different styles of batik shirts, you can wear them
in a wide range of situations and in almost any type of weather. They will look great when
you wear them with a pair of jeans or chinos on a casual day out, and they will look great
when you wear them with your suit or tuxedo on a formal day out. They will look great when
you wear them in the summer and they will also look great when you wear them in the
winter. They are a versatile piece of clothing that can be incorporated into any wardrobe, so if
you want to add some variety to your closet, then you should definitely consider adding a
batik shirt or two.

They are also designed to fit loosely around the body, which allows air to flow freely through
the fabric, so they will not only make you look good but they will also make you feel good as
well!

Conclusion
Batik has evolved from its traditional status as a functional item worn in daily life to a
symbol of identity. As Indonesia’s most distinctive form of expression, batik is an intrinsic
part of Indonesian culture. It is not only an integral element of the country’s cultural heritage,
but it also reflects the aspirations, creativity and diversity of its people.