Ahead of The National Batik Day, Let’s Hunt Traditional Fabrics in These 5 Unique Batik-Producing Cities

National Batik Day is celebrated on October 2 every year. This day has become a special day for Indonesian traditional fabrics. Not only that Batik is used for formal events, but also casually. You can often see the younger generation casually wearing Batik with a touch of mix and match. Combining creativity and the latest trends, they bring about batik motifs and create a more casual and laid back look.

Ahead of the National Batik Day, have you updated your Batik collection in your dresser? If you haven’t already, here are five places that you can go to get some of the most unique Batik motifs.

5 cities to visit for some unique Batik motifs

East Belitung - The beautiful simpor leaves motif 

Simpor leaves seem to be inseparable from the life of the Belitung people, that’s why Batik producers took this motif to represent the Land of the Rainbow Army. Simpor leaves have a distinctive role in Belitung where you can easily find the use of these leaves, commonly as a food wrapper.

Visit the Simpor Leaves Gallery in Gantung, East Belitung to get the various Belitung typical Batik colorways. Here, you can mostly find stamped Batik with bold colors like red, blue, and yellow, almost like the Batik you see in the coastal area. Although, you can also find more neutral colors like black and brown.

Jakarta - Ondel-ondel in Batik Betawi 

Among the seemingly ceaseless waves of modernization in the nation’s capital, the Betawi Batik Center in Terogong, South Jakarta, still maintains its traditional values. The motifs you see here seem to immortalize Jakarta from one era to another. Imagine the uniqueness of Batik with motifs like the National Monument, Bajaj, Bemo, Coconut Flower, Tanjidor, Clover Leaf, and not to forget, the icon of Jakarta, Ondel-ondel.

Lasem (Rembang) - The sophisticated Batik of Java’s northern coast

The name Lasem is well-known as one of the centers of Written Batik producers in Indonesia besides Solo and Pekalongan. Lasem itself is a subdistrict-city in the northern coast of Java which is administratively a part of Rembang Regency.

Batik Lasem generally has a sophisticated motif with a neat color combination. The most typical is the Three-State Batik with a touch of red, bir, and sogan. It is said that in the past, the coloring was done in 3 different cities. Finding a Batik shop in this small town won’t be hard. One that we recommend is Oemah Batik Lasem. You can also visit several Batik homeshops to hunt for the fabric of your dreams.

Bangkalan & Pamekasan (Madura) - From the bold Lancor motif to Pancawarna

Lancor Batik is known to come from the Pamekasan Regency area, its name refers to a tower located in the city square. Uniquely, Lancor Batik actually shows a flora motif, without a single tower in sight. Brown, black, and bright red are the colors you commonly see in Batik from Madura, although it’s not uncommon to see other colors like blue and yellow.

Another motif that people usually go for is the wood grain motif which is common in Bangkalan. As the name implies, this batik has a wood grain-like background with touches of fine lines. If you want the colorful ones, opt for the Pancawarna Batik. It’s a batik motif with unique gradations and sparkling color that will certainly bring out the charms in you.

Jayapura - The unique Cendrawasih and Honai

You may find it strange but Batik is not only found in Java. At the eastern end of Indonesia, Batik is also a part of a heritage to be proud of. Papuan Batik is known for its beautiful Cendrawasih motif. This bird from heaven has long been the icon of Papua.

Another popular motif is the Honai, aka the Papuan traditional house. Papuan Batik usually combines several colors to create a display of motifs that resemble paintings. Just wow! Even though it’s undeniable that Batik productions are done mostly in Java, a piece of Batik with a typical Papuan motif will certainly make you stand out from the crowd. It also makes a sweet souvenir.

Haven’t had a chance to visit ahead of the National Batik Day? Don’t worry, you can stop by anytime you can. The spirit of wearing Batik should certainly not be diminished by any reason ever. Particularly with so many contemporary designs to choose from, a piece of Batik can suit several occasions and not limited to just formal ones.

Going in and out of shops can be exhausting when you’re hunting for Batik. In some well-known Batik-producing cities, shops and home handmade Batik makers are often scattered around the city, thus moving from one shop to another can seem like a chore. So, it might be best if you entrust your transportation arrangement to TRAC. TRAC is a car and bus rental service provider with an extensive network. With TRAC, you can get the proper transportation arrangement from and to many cities in Indonesia.

You can adjust the cars according to your needs, especially with TRAC’s variety of fleet options. Choose a smaller car if you’re traveling in a small group. If you’re planning to go Batik hunting in a huge group, then renting the TRAC bus would be a wiser option. How convenient!

Download the TRACtoGo application from Google Play Store or Apple App Store and book TRAC’s service from your smartphone. With the TRACtoGo application, get a 50% discount for the extension of non-driver car rental on Sundays during TRAC’s Sunday Funday Promo. You can also get a 35% discount from TRACTIRAN HUT Astra. All offers are only applicable if you book via TRACtoGo.