Handicrafts: Batik takes on a new shape

Nurni Sulaiman, THE JAKARTA POST, BALIKPAPAN | Fri, 01/16/2009 1:06 PM  

Housewife Budi Hariyati had never imagined she would work in the batik industry. After all, batik is a Javanese tradition, and she lives in Kalimantan. 

But an offer to join a batik training program changed her life.

 

New twist: Wooden batik handicraft with Dayak motifs are proving very popular. JP/NURNI SULAIMAN 

 

She recalled how she and about 20 other women joined the workshop organized by the Industry and Trade Agency in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, back in 1991. 

Before long, batik and batik-making had become a central part of her life, as she bought the materials and avidly practiced at home 

Of those 20 women, she is the only one still working with batik – with stunning success, in the form of a small business. 

Her business, Shaho Handy Craft – which claims to be the first batik maker in Balikpapan – puts a fresh twist on batik by using Dayak designs for the motifs. 

Hariyati started by using silk-screen techniques, but later moved onto printed and fine batik.

“At first, my dream was only to improve and develop batik in Kalimantan so that local people who wanted to learn about it did not have to travel far away to Java,” Hariyati said. 

Now she employs 10 workers, mostly women from her own neighborhood. Each receives a monthly salary of at least Rp 900,000 (US$80), while others are paid at a daily rate of Rp 30,000. 

She also provides training to anyone who wants to learn about Kalimantan’s batik handicrafts – and many people do. 

Every year about 500 to 1,000 students – including students from international schools, such as Bugis International School and Prabu International School – study batik in her workshop, she said. 

“School students usually bring their own designs and make batik here [on a piece of cloth].

“Later they can make various items from their batik, depending on what they want – a bag, clothing or something else,” she said. 

A number of local and foreign employees have also studied in Hariyati’s studio.

All in all, she said, the batik industry is proving quite promising. 

“The income is enough to cover the cost of living in Balikpapan. I’ve even been able to send my three children to university.” 

Hariyati’s children and husband fully support her flourishing business. 

The name of her company, Shaho, is formed from the initials of her family’s first names – Supratono (Hariyati’s husband), Hariyati and her children Ardi, Hendri Astuti and Oki Hendro Julianto. 

What distinguishes fabric from Shaho Handy Craft is its use of unique and abstract Dayak designs. 

Products made from the fabric include bags, sarongs, sleepwear, and clothes. 

Prices for Hariyati’s printed batik fabric begin at Rp 20,000 per meter while prices for fine batik start at Rp 150,000. 

Her workshop can produce at least 200 meters of printed fabric per day or 12,000 meters per year, although production output also depends on the season. 

Output drops during the rainy season, because the cloth cannot be spread out in the sun to dry.

Now, in yet another twist on the classic, Hariyati is developing batik based on Kalimantan designs using wood, not cloth. 

For this, she uses local woods such as lime. She is also developing natural coloring. 

“Wooden batik with Dayak designs is extremely popular. We are also developing it to support the ‘Visit Indonesia Year 2008/2009’ initiative,” Oki said. 

Despite the popularity – and uniqueness – of her products, Hariyati has no plans to expand her business to Jakarta, Java or anywhere else because of the extremely high operational costs, which would make it difficult for her products to compete with Javanese batik in term of retail prices. 

“We have no branches outside of Kalimantan,” she said. 

“However Shaho batik can be found overseas in places such as Australia, the US, France, Mexico, Canada and Nigeria. The buyers come directly to this showroom.”