THE TRADITIONAL CLOTHES OF INDONESIA

There are 1.340 tribes in Indonesia and every tribe has a distinctive traditional clothes  which unique  in patterns, motifs, materials, and accessories.  Those Characteristic of any cloth is affected by the condition of :  natural environment, spinning yarn and weaving equipment, the image of art, religion and the way of everyday life of each tribe.

A. Traditional Fabrics

Indonesia has a variety of traditional fabrics. Almost every region in Indonesia has a fabric with the characteristic of each on: patterns, motifs, materials, and the coloring process. Fabrics can be made by weaving. Weaving can be plain and can be decorated with a motif. There are two ways to decorate fabric: 1. Structure Design, 2. Surface Design. Structure design is decorate  fabric when it is being created. Surface design is  decorate a fabric is done when the cloth has been completed. In Indonesia there are four known types of traditional weaving: 1. Regular handwoven, 2. Tie handwoven, 3. Supplementary Wrap Handwoven, 4. Special handwoven. Indonesian traditional weaving motifs are well known: Batik, Sasirangan, Ulos, Sarong Bugis, Lurik (striated), Songket Lombok, Tapis, Gringsing, Weaving Dayak, Besurek, Songket, Weaving Ulap Doyo, Poleng and Jumputan.

B. Batik

UNESCO has set Batik as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity since October 2, 2009. Batik is a craft that has high artistic value and has become part of the culture of Indonesia (especially Java) since about the 12th century AD,. Batik can be made on materials: white linen, silk, polyester, rayon and other synthetic materials. Batik motifs painted with canting (a kind of ink pen), filled liquid wax. Fabrics that have been painted with wax and then dyed with the desired dies. The fabric that has been dyed dipped in chemicals to dissolve the wax. Now batik has developed almost all regions in Indonesia, even to foreign countries. Based on manufacturing techniques there are three kinds of batik: 1. Hand writing Batik. Production time 2-3 months. 2. Printing Batik. Production time 2-3 days. 3. Batik Painting, Batik which painted directly on the fabric.