Features in the Past

Yogyakarta Batik has a unique pattern. The basic colors were white and black and additional colors were soon added too. The most common colors were brown, blue, white and black. Each color used in the Yogyakarta batik had a meaning and mostly kings and other royal family members are allowed to wear them. Patterns are added too, and the design was inspired by floras, faunas and other religious meaning that could protects and adds prosperity for the people who wear them. These patterns aren’t common patterns; they were designed specially and were given name to adjust its existence. A pattern was called Kawung, Sawat, Udan Liris, etc.  

Features in Present

Yogyakarta batik was still used and well-known now. Batik patterns that were formerly only used by royal family and high class people are now used by people on any degrees, commoners and wealthy people. Batik was now added with various colors, even modern colors. Batik are now rarely worn, more people prefers to wear update or modern clothing rather than the traditional one. Batik patterns had also improved not only floras, faunas and religious objects but also interesting patterns so that people nowadays would want to wear them. Batik makers provide batik designs that could adapt to nowadays taste. There is some batik that were used to be worn only by royal family but now were allowed to be used by local people outside the palace. This was done because the Sultan in Yogyakarta ere wise and kind to his people. Sri Sultan allowed common people to wear the batik that was formerly only been worn by royal family (usually Parang Pattern). Not only local people but also foreigners, Jessica Alba had ever worn the Parang batik on her home country. But even though we are allowed to wear the royal batik pattern we aren’t allowed to wear them during our visit to the Jogjakarta Palace. It was considered impolite if we wore it on the Sultan’s Palace or also called as Keraton Yogyakarta.

 

Change and Connection

Batik in the past and batik nowadays would of course have a connection. Batik designs now were influenced by past batik designs. Making batik had changed. Nobody really accurately knows how batik was made long ago, in the time before 1500 AD. But we already know that fabric or wools were sewed by the maker themselves and designs were handmade or drawn manually. Not so long ago, people uses canting, a traditional technology to trace the sketch of batik patterns, to give a significant and dominant line of the pattern. Printed batik was soon practiced by Indonesian people and used to make batik faster. Even though a faster technology was invented so that batik making would be easier, people had always tried to develop something. Now, batik production increases and factories used computerized machine to produce batik patterns in fabric. All we need is to sew. Batik had taken a big part of Indonesian people life because of its history.