(JP/Khairul Saleh)
Undaunted by years of hardship and setbacks, Tria Gunawan has made a name for herself with her rich range of Palembang embroideries, distinctive for their novel and contemporary designs.
With artistic flair, the 43-year-old has transformed the needlework unique to Pa-lembang, South Sumatra, by using modern colors and fabrics. The effect is that the traditional embroidery is no longer reserved solely for ceremonial purposes, but is suited for all sorts of occasions – and that her creations are finding their way onto the world stage.
If Tria can now lay claim to fortune and prestige, it is thanks to years of perseverance and hardship. First came the difficulties after being dismissed from her job during the financial crisis in 1997. Then was the long and assiduous effort of exploring novel designs. Her search to innovate and to depart from the conventional embroidery style demanded a certain amount of courage to deviate from traditional patterns and to boldly integrate trendy colors into her creations.
“It’s not easy to create something new,” Tria told The Jakarta Post in her residence in Palembang recently. “Because, apart from the need to trace conventional patterns, it’s also important to have available embroiderers who have artistic finesse and high creativity.”
One of her innovative designs, a silk-based embroidery, won the 2009 Indonesian Handiwork Creation Award for its high value, originality and unique needlework process that required the application of three different techniques.
She can also take pride in another work that was worn by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono to a state function early last year.
“It gives us pleasure, pride, and at the same time makes us reflect a bit when we have some success and manage to make people happy with our service and products.”
Which means customers are happy to pay the prices for the diverse items in her boutique, which range from Rp 150,000 for embroideries on chiffon to Rp 2 million for items in the “first-lady class”.
“The customer is king, so we want to give them what they want by offering items that suit their hip pockets,” remarked Tria, who chooses light and comfortable fabrics for everyday embroidered clothes.
Among the satisfied customers of her Palembang embroidery are not only those shopping in local outlets but also those in Singapore, Malaysia, China and the Middle East, where her goods are distributed through trade fairs.
Born Alwantriati Tundrarizmi, the third of the six children of Aminoeddin and (the late) Nur Aini, who both came from Lahat in South Sumatra, Tria might never have expected to end up in textiles. She came to the business of embroidery with no family history of the craft, nor even any previous skill or experience in anything to do with sewing or decorative needlework. Her own qualifications and professional background were as an agricultural engineer.
After losing her job, she started up a business selling women’s clothing, with her customers being none other than her former co-workers from the bank. “They gave a good response, even making various suggestions that later proved very useful,” she said.
Now, her 12 years of hard work have paid off.
In addition to the 2009 Handiwork Creation Award, she counts among her other trophies the Indonesian Businesswomen’s Achievement Award, the Trade Minister’s Export Potential Creation Award, the prize for Best Handiwork Creation awarded by Vice President Jusuf Kalla’s wife Mufida, and the government’s handicraft industrial trophy, all awarded in 2006. Her other recent prize was a 2009 Kartini Award.
For all that, Tria is not about to hang up her needle – there is still plenty that she seeks to achieve. Her ultimate goal is for Palembang embroideries to be available – and demanded – all over the world.
“It’s not just a dream,” she said with determination. “Their market potential and the opportunity
combined with advances in information and technology all mean they have a good future in the European fashion market.”
Always a realist, Tria is also examining her present business capacity, conditions and backing (since 2000 she has received aid funds from the South Sulawesi unit of state-owned oil company Pertamina).
She is also busy preparing for the launch of spectacular national events, before moving further on a global scale. Such activities, she claimed, are vital for the promotion of traditional embroideries to make them popular and on par with clothing products from other regions.
At present, Tria’s boutique has no fewer than 80 employees, 60 of whom are regular. While most come from the neighborhoods near where she lives, she has also recruited some workers from Tasikmalaya in West Java, an area known for its skilled embroiderers.
To ensure the best quality and productivity, she used three machines bought in Bandung.
“When demand is high, we also involve conventional craftspeople from different areas under the supervision of the five coordinators in charge,” added Tria. She said she hoped the collaboration of these many embroiderers would prove intensive and sustainable, and result in higher skills so that they might all be able to create and work with new motifs and colors that go far beyond the mainstream designs.
“In this way, the aim of making these new embroidery creations popular for virtually any occasion can be more speedily realized,” Tria said. “That will be even more the case if the regional administration pays attention and we’re ready to join forces with them.”
