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Telusur Kultur: Retelling Indonesia through modern prints
Entrepreneur Renaldi Perdana Kesuma and illustrator Hari Prast are spreading the wonder of everything from traditional folktales to culinary heritage through the boldly printed shirts of Telusur Kultur (Exploring Culture).
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Batik bridge: Renaldi says Telusur Kultur was built as a bridge to make people accustomed to wearing more traditional textiles in their daily lives. (Courtesy of Telusur Kultur) (Personal collection/Courtesy of Telusur Kultur)
T
here are plenty of ways to introduce people to the culture of Indonesia. Entrepreneur Renaldi Perdana Kesuma and illustrator Hari Prast are spreading the wonder of everything from traditional folktales to culinary heritage through the boldly printed shirts of Telusur Kultur (exploring culture).
While many Indonesians are proud of the country's cornucopia of culture, it rarely appears in everyday clothing, save for select representation in a few traditional garments like batik and sarong.
Renaldi Perdana Kesuma saw the potential in this untapped market and invited illustrator Hari Prast to create a mini collection for his brand, Tenue De Attire (attire outfit), in 2019. The first batch of the limited edition collection, titled 'L'Indépendance Indonésienne' (Indonesian independence), consisted of at least 250 pieces and was available for less than 24 hours. The success encouraged the two to make their own line, separate from Tenue de Attire.
"We wanted to create a product that screamed Indonesia. But I didn’t think we could use Tenue [de Attire] because it has a different style. Tenue makes modern clothes, usually plain or with modern motifs. The [brand] name is not even Indonesian," said Renaldi.
The two then decided to make and fund a new brand. "The plan was delayed because of the pandemic," said Hari. "We finally launched our first collection by the end of 2020. If we had waited for the pandemic to end, we wouldn’t have known when it would come to a close."
Renaldi and Hari launched Telusur Kultur (exploring culture) in July 2020. Its first collection was titled Kisah Indonesia (stories of Indonesia), which made use of the famous folkloric characters Timun Mas (the golden cucumber), Srikandi and Gatot Kaca.
