The Batik Industry

Batik is part of Indonesia’s beautiful heritage. With an eye for foreign market and its commercial value, batik manufacturers have come up with new colors and designs. There is a global demand for modern style batik. One of the most fascinating home industries that has grown up in Indonesia and is becoming increasingly prosperous is the batik industry. The quantity and variety of batik pattern is well-known throughout the world.

Yogyakarta and Surakarta in Central Java are generally regarded as the twin capitals of classical batik, which used only three colors, black, brown, and white to produce delightful and graceful motives on cloth.

Batik from Solo is refined and characterized by its dark brown colour while batik from Yogyakarta is famous for its white colour contrasted with brown and black is one pattern.

Today, however, it is difficult to say where certain batik comes from because more and more batik with various designs are being produced. Other places in Java, like Pekalongan, Lasem, and Cirebon, are also famous for their typical batik. Batik from Lasem is characterized by ornamental patterns of animals and flowers, or garlands of flowers and leaves, while batik from Cirebon has more grotesque patterns of figures such as animals and chariots, usually in brown and black on a yellowish background. Batik from Pekalongan is usually colourful and has floral and bird designs.