Ramli Takes (More) Batik Patterns Onto The Stage

Jakarta - Batik has received a warm welcome from the public in the past couple of years, returning from a long period of market neglect and years of being regarded as just another traditional costume.

In the last few years, batik has come back into the shops, with more attractive and fashionable styles to lure consumers.

Sellers, from sidewalk clothes vendors in traditional markets to fancy boutiques in posh shopping centers, suddenly see the long-forgotten fabric as a promising commodity.

At the same time, batik is being showcased on the catwalks and worn by young generations.

Either real batik or printed batik has become the new trend for many.

For fashion designer Ramli, batik has always fascinated him and inspired his designs. He is one of few local designers who are sticking with batik for his creations.

Not only classic Javanese batik from Central Java`s Solo and Yogyakarta, but also unique and beautiful batik from other areas, such as Betawi, Madura (East Java), Lampung, Pekalongan (Central Java) and even Papua.

Now, Ramli is back with his new batik collection in an event called Exobatika 2009, which was held recently at Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, Central Jakarta.

In creating his collection, Ramli has been working with traditional batik cloth makers, who still use weavers not machines.

A white kebaya full of sequins, for instance, looks elegant with a red-and-white batik sarong and a selendang (scarf).

A knee-length skin-colored kebaya with sequins sewn along the button line really goes well with classic Javanese batik.

For young people, Ramli has designed a fresh, unique collection using Papua batik, combining it with fur and leather.

"The combination of Papua batik, fur and leather really shows and reflects the exoticism of Papua itself," he said.

A black-and-white batik top, black leather pants and black boots give both a sporty and masculine look.

The exotic side of Papua can also be seen in the mix of a long brown robe, combined with batik wide-leg palazzo pants and a long piece of fur twisted around the waist like a belt.

Accessories like a gold necklace and earrings or an ethnic bag will strengthen the exotic look.

You can get the feminine look with an asymmetrically cut black leather mini skirt with fur detail around the hemline matched with a black vest, batik top and black boots.

For more casual events, a long batik tunic top can be worn with a long crochet vest and a pair of skinny leather pants.

"If you want to put beads or sequins on your batik clothes, avoid using shiny sequins because they will make your clothes look rather flashy," Ramli suggested.

"Batik is colorful and has full patterns so it would be better if you only put on a few simple sequins," he said, adding that batik remained a favorite choice for his customers.

Ramli has designed a series of batik clothes for men too.

Nehru-collared shirts made from Madurese Sampang batik can be matched with black pants. The bright colors and attractive patterns of the batik make the users look young.

In his other collections, Ramli has combined a long sleeved top with loose pants and a scarf.

As well as his batik creations, the designer exhibited 12 black-and-white Muslim outfits to wear to celebrate the upcoming Idul Fitri.

He has created abaya, the long robes for women, decorated with gold tapis ornaments from Lampung.

White abaya with black detail on the front and see-through veils; and black abaya with ornamentation on the cuffs and collars, are perfect for evening events.

If you are not into abaya, you can opt for white palazzo pants with tunics and chiffon veils.

Although the collection might look glamorous, you can also wear it on more casual occasions.

The basic key is to mix and match. Try to match the abaya with pants, for instance, or change the veil to a colorful one.

In the future, he said, he planned to explore Kalimantan batik and introduce it into his collection. Triwik Kurniasari

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
Photo: http://vibizlife.com

Share

Write your comment !