At the core of Batik Priatampan’s business operations lies its batik export division. Current demands for its batik fabrics have reached 1,250,000 yards per annum with a total capacity of 1,500,000 yards per annum — this is set to increase to 2,000,000 yards by the end of 2018. The majority of the company’s batik fabrics are used to make quilts or home décor products as the fabrics can be combined to form unique patterns and colours. Additionally, they have also been used to produce ready-to wear clothing — the company has already supplied the largest textile manufacturer in the US — particularly for menswear, thereby illustrating the creative adaptability of the company’s products.
In manufacturing its batik fabrics, the company’s design team draw on influences and colours from international and local cultures and whether they can be adopted or modified into a batik motif. Every design is meticulously made by hand using either the batik cap (the pattern is created by constructing a ‘stamp’ using hundreds of small pieces of copper) or batik tulis (the motif is applied by wax using a wooden pencil) methods, requiring an in-depth understanding of art and craftsmanship, whilst also being supported by modern quality control systems to maintain product excellence.
Producing 320 designs per year, the company uses calming blues, whites, and greens on snowflake and bell-shaped patterns for fabrics that are exported during the festive winter months, and warm combinations of orange, brown and yellow on floral patterns for the spring and summer seasons. The company has also utilised yellow, gold and rusty reds for a desert-inspired motif featuring lions and giraffes, in addition to turquoise and silver for a pattern imitating intricate alligator scales— several of the company’s motifs are already patented in the USA. Moreover, Batik Priatampan can tailor to existing custom designs provided by clients, offering a personalised service that caters to their brand’s creative needs.
As such, the company’s fresh approach to batik art demonstrates its capacity to adjust to modern trends as well as batik’s flexibility to undergo changes and innovation that has resulted in its steadfast popularity in Indonesia and the international markets.