Batik Fashion Show 2024: Celebrating a Cherished Cultural Tradition
“Batik is deeply rooted in the cultural heritage of countries like Indonesia. Batik tells stories, reflects traditions, and represents local identities. For many, batik evokes nostalgia and a connection to family heritage, especially among those with cultural ties to regions where batik is a significant part of life. Every pattern of batik has a different meaning.”
Annually, 2 October is known as Batik Day for Indonesians, who celebrate what has been recognised as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO. This year, on Sunday, 6 October 2024, Suara Kita, a community group of Indonesian domestic workers supported by HOME, organised “Fashion Show Batik Modern”. This event was an opportunity for Indonesian domestic workers in Singapore to celebrate this cherished cultural tradition, and also express their creativity and develop talent in the field of fashion.
It was truly a dazzling array of batik as 50 participants strutted down the catwalk with pride and confidence.
Not only did the contestants put effort into how they styled their looks, they took pains to explain to the judges the history and meaning of the batik they were wearing. Take, for example, Ms Septasari (Contestant 10; see below), whose ‘Sogan’ outfit from Solo (also known as Surakarta in Indonesia), means the following: Sogan, golden yellow, is a symbol of the kingdom of the bird nation. The trailing hand-painted fabric from Solo is made from ancient batik motifs originating from the Mataram Kingdom. According to Septasari, the wearer is expected to be “someone who is gentle but still firm and brave, like the Knight Abimanyu”.
In between the magnificent display of batik, there was, of course, also singing, cultural performances, and dancing!
The Top 10 Finalists
The five lovely judges had a really tough job of drilling down from 50 participants to the Top 10 finalists, who were assessed on the following criteria: design, presentation, and catwalk.
The Top 10 Finalists (L-R): Septasari (No.10) Sangadah Sasa (No. 31), Siti Nur Cholifah (No. 9), Roza Febiola Rahman (No 4); Alda Rosliana(34); Fitri Febian (No.12); Nurtisah (19); Neni Cahyani (No.18); Ririn Utami (No. 50); Lilik Herlinawati (No. 20).
After the Top 10 were announced, it was time for a final catwalk and a round of gentle grilling by the judges, who asked questions like:
What are the three types of techniques for making batik?
Batik historically comes from which tribe?
What is the name of the tool used to make batik manually?
The panel of judges (L-R): The panel of judges (L-R): Fikriyah, Fujifilm Singapore; Ade Rina Chaerony, Consular Affairs, KBRI Singapore; Enik Susilowati Teo, Founder, Enik Employment Agency; Desy Windanarni Wilson, KCBI Singapore & President/Director,MAKURI Indonesia; Saleha Mustakim, HOME staff member and fashion lover.
The Top Three Winners (L-R): Neni Cahyani, Fitri Febrian, and Roza Febiola Rahman, who impressed the judges with their creativity, style and elegance.
Watch winner of the Batik fashion show, Neni Cahyani, transform her outfit, stamped with the Jaya Kirana motif. Inspired by Japanese super warriors, the first look signifies a brave woman, while the second look exudes a more gentle, graceful style.
The Top 3 winners and judges Saleha Mustakim and Desy Windanarni Wilson.
THANK YOU!
A big shout-out to Suara Kita’s organizing team for the incredible effort, and to all the talented participants: thank you for an inspiring afternoon that demonstrated your shared love and pride for all things batik! Thank you too to the patient judges, who had the difficult job of whittling down the bevy of contestants from 50, to 10, and to the final top 3! We would also like to thank our guest-of-honour, Bapak Sulistijo Djati Ismojo, Deputy Chief of Mission, Indonesia Embassy, for being so supportive of HOME Family’s various events, and for the speech he gave detailing the rich history of the batik tradition in Indonesia. This event was made possible with the kind sponsorship of Amirul, POS TKI, Enik Employment Agency, Moolahgo and Sembawang RC: thank you for your generousity. For the beautiful photographs: thank you Yanti and Icha (our tireless HOME event photographers).
