Batik

Hot Batik Spots in Jogja | Batik Museums | Batik Fashion Designers

Hot Batik Spots in Jogja

Famous for its batik, Jogja is heaven for textile enthusiasts. Some of local residents' favorite batik spots follow:

Bixa Batik Studio
Pengok PJKA GK 1/7/43F, Phone: +62 (0274) 546-545, Fax: +62 (0274) 542-405. www.batikbixa.com.

Well known for its natural dyes.

Winotosastro Batik (Ibu Hani) on Jl. Tirtodipuran is highly recommended. It has some of the highest quality traditional batiks in town. Many are made with natural dyes.

Imogiri, 20 km southeast of Jogja, is best known for its royal cemetery. But it is also home to hundreds of traditional batik makers. At the base of the cemetery in Panjimatan are many small shops selling traditional batiks made by the villagers. The Joglo Cipto Wening Batik Museum in Imogiri opened in 2004, was destroyed in the May 2006 earthquake, and was rebuilt with funds from The Netherland's Prince Claus. Definitely worth a visit.

Bima Sakti Batik Collective, Giriloyo batik village, Imogiri, Bantul
Located in the southern part of Jogja not far from Kota Gede, this isn't a shop, rather it is a rare opportunity to see village life and deal directly with traditional batik makers. Prices are from Rp. 250,000 for a cotton scarf to Rp.600,000 for kain panjang (lengths of batik, meterage). Bring along a guide if you don't speak Indonesian.

Batik Museums

Batik and Embroidery Museum
Jl Dr Sutomo No. 13 A, Jogja. +62 (0274) 562-338.
Open Monday – Saturday 8:00 am - 12:00 noon. Entrance fee charged.

Located about 2 km north of the Keraton, this small museum is owned by a Jogja family and has two sections: one dedicated to batik, the other to sulaman, the embroidery fancied by Javanese ladies on their formalwear. The batik collection dates from 1880 until present day in various styles: Jogja, Surakarta, Madura and many others, showing both traditional and modern motifs. There are more than 400 examples of batik tulis (hand-drawn) and 500 pieces of printed batik (using cap). Other interesting exhibits are batik tools and equipment such as canting, stamps, dyes and beeswax. There are 126 examples of embroidery, the largest collection in the country. A demonstration of the batik process is available in the simple workshop upon request.

Keraton Batik Museum
Jl. Rotowijayan 1, Jogja. Phone: +62 (0274) 373-177.
Open daily except Friday: 8.30 am - 1:30 pm, Friday 8:30 am - 12:30 pm.
Entrance fee charged.

This museum is located inside the Keraton complex and displays batiks made by Keraton royal family members and their abdi dalem (royal servants). The complete batik-making process can be seen behind the Keraton Kilen (West Palace) where Sultan HB Hamengku Buwono X lives.

Joglo Cipto Wening Batik Museum
Ketandan Tengah, Wukirsari, Imogiri.
Phone: +62 (0274) 753-031.
Cell: 0813-2876-2759.
Open Tuesday - Sunday 10:00 am - 3:00 pm (closed Mondays). Free entrance.

Restored after being damaged by the earthquake in May 2006, this museum exhibits special Imogiri-style batik tulis (hand drawn) made by local villagers and has collection of more then one hundred antique and traditional batik patterns. On Saturday and Sunday this museum holds batik demonstrations by local batik makers and batik lessons for beginners.

Ullen Sentalu Museum
Taman Kaswargan, Jl. Boyong, Kaliurang. Tel: (0274) 895-161, 880-158.
Open Tuesday – Sunday 9:00 am - 3:30 pm (closed Mondays).
Entrance fee charged.

This museum is located 15 km north of Jogja, in the pleasant hillside town, Kaliurang. Dedicated to Javanese culture and batik, Ullen Sentalu Museum houses many ancient and rare royal batik motifs. In addition to fine batik, exhibits range from historical objects to Javanese arts. The museum building itself is interesting, as it is modeled after a European castle, an unusual sight in the Javanese countryside. It also has a coffee shop.