Various Indonesian batik clothing and fabrics attracted visitors at the 2019 Apparel Textile and Footwear (ATF) Trade Exhibition in Cape Town recently. According to the Indonesian industry ministry, the export value of woven and batik commodities reached $53.3 million in 2018, with the destination nations comprising Japan, the Netherlands and the United States. Though Indonesian business apparel presence in South Africa is limited, its high-quality fabrics and batik products have vast potential in the country, said Indonesian consul general in Cape Town Krishna AdiPoetranto. The event was held on June 12-14.
The ‘Wastra Nusantara’ sequence at the fashion show on the second day of the exhibition was enlivened by the latest collection of batik designers and entrepreneurs from Lampung, Pekalongan, and Bandung, a news agency report citing a press release by the Indonesian Embassy in Pretoria. Batik Siger, with experience in showcasing its collections in various countries, presented clothing lines for men and women, with a typical Siger style of Lampung Province. Lovely Zia from Bandung displayed contemporary batik clothing, including patchwork skirts, shirts, dresses, and outer wear for both genders. Aruni Batik Pekalongan is showcased batik clothing for men and batik fabric. Indonesian batik was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009 and is expected to go global and drive the exports of small and medium industries.
