B

alinese ikat woven cloth is Eddy Betty’s new love as the designer embraces the traditional textile, flaunting its beauty into something more casual and contemporary for his second line, Edbe.

A trip to Bali’s Klungkung and Gianyar seemed to have given fresh yet fruitful imaginative ideas to Eddy Betty and his business partner Ley Puspa Sandjaja to toy with Balinese ikat, locally known as kain endek.

The duo “broke” the rules, creating new yet fun motifs depicting umbrellas, butterflies, polka dots and checkered designs, blending them with classic styles.

The making of the collection was a real test and a tough challenge for Eddy and Ley as they had to be patient in guiding local weavers to get them used to create new motifs and patterns.

“The weavers have spent their lives making certain motifs and it took some time for them to adjust themselves to the new ones,” said Eddy.

Among dozens of motifs they proposed to the weavers, only five were well executed and completed, Ley added.

“Balinese ikat poses specific characters. We amazingly found a strikingly beautiful, rare old motifs, which is unbelievably very modern,” said Ley.

The duo chooses to mix four types of ikat with different motifs into one item to create an edgy yet unique outfit — something that sparks Japan’s Harajuku spirit.

The message was clear: merely to show that ikat is no longer something usually worn by elderly people.

Eddy and Ley showed men’s and women’s collection, that were more practical with Asiatic touches, while the translation of ikat into easy-to-wear pieces resulted in tribal-looking collection.

The looks here are in line with traveling mood: relaxed pants, gaucho pants, shorts and loose dresses.

Eddy, whose evening gown was donned by Indonesian actress Dian Sastrowardoyo at red carpet of the recent Cannes Film Festival, relocated to a light yet romantic point for his women’s line, wildly and freely playing with his imagination.

Eddy and Ley showcased their ikat items in a fashion parade, which was divided into three sequences that portrayed sunrise, noon and sunset.

For the sunrise sequence, shades of dark green, violet, and red made their way into almost every piece, from a sleeveless jumpsuit and flare asymmetric-cut dress to H-line shirtdress and cropped pants.

For men, a shorts-shirts combination in colorful hues was on display, igniting a tropical nuance.

As always, items of Edbe are multi-function pieces that can be stylishly turned into different fashion items. “It would be nice to have something that you can take apart and wear different ways,” said Ley.

The second part kicked off with the bright summer colors, the yellows, light green and tangerines that made you think of the sun, blooming flowers and the green leaves and then creamy items, contrasted with a dab of ikat on the hemline.

When it comes to evening, duo Eddy and Ley brought in dark-colored pieces, trying to pair classic blackish ikat with deep navy blue, dark green or maroon.