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Jakarta Post

The kebaya sheds its prim and proper image

Up-and-coming Indonesian designer Lenny Agustin dreams of seeing kebaya,tenun ikat (woven cloth) and batik coming back into vogue

Prodita Sabarini (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sun, February 24, 2008

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The kebaya sheds its prim and proper image

Up-and-coming Indonesian designer Lenny Agustin dreams of seeing kebaya,tenun ikat (woven cloth) and batik coming back into vogue.

"I want to see young women hanging out, wearing kebaya-like tops and skirts cut from batik or tenun ikat," Lenny said last week in her studio in Setiabudi, South Jakarta.

Women mostly wear kebaya to weddings and other formal occasions.

However, Lenny, whose designs maintain a distinctly Indonesian flavor, would like nothing more than to see the traditional Javanese blouses accepted as casual women's wear.

"The indigenous fabrics of Indonesia are rich and varied. Young women -- the everyday fashionable -- should have fun with kebaya," she said.

Batik is generally thought of as the most quintessentially Indonesian textile. There are thousands of different motifs on record and the designs of both batik and kebaya vary from region to region.

Lenny held her first solo fashion show in August, turning her back on the style dictators. Her 2008 collection was thus titled "Controverchic".

Batik from Cirebon, Pekalongan and Yogyakarta, and tenun ikat from Riau, Makassar, Lombok, Bali and Sumba, are contrasted with chiffon, tulle, raw silk, and metallic materials in the collection.

Lenny also created modern twists on traditional kebaya designs -- think baby doll gowns and elbow-length balloon sleeves. These she paired with leggings or Capri shorts.

Sitting in her Setiabudi studio, Lenny wore one of her own designs -- a blue batik dress with balloon sleeves. With her sleek, short blond hair, and wearing the batik, Lenny embodied a harmonious combination of traditional culture and modern style.

The 60-strong collection received positive reviews. However, Lenny said her style had yet to be emulated by young women.

"I haven't seen women wearing kebaya-cut tops while chatting with their friends over a cup of coffee," she said.

"My designs are still too expensive for street wear. That's why I'm working on establishing my ready-to-wear label," Lenny said.

The garments she designs cost between Rp 400,000 (about US$42) and Rp 5 million.

Lenny also hopes to take her label to the international market.

"That's my dream," said the designer who received her training at the ISWI Fashion and Art Design Academy, the School of Fashion Bunka and La Salle College Jakarta -- all in Jakarta.

Fresh out of fashion school, Lenny began receiving orders to make kebaya for weddings and receptions. She soon discovered a love of traditional garments.

"I developed my own style and flat-out refused if a customer asked me to copy somebody else's design," she said.

It was six years after setting up her boutique before she showcased her first collection. Now, she is preparing for next year's collection.

"It will be a surprise... there will be a wayang (Indonesian puppetry) element in it," she said.

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