emmagem recently spoke to the distributor of an Indonesian batik brand called Parang Kenchana, Cik Salina Shamsuddin at Prestige Floor (4th Floor) Lot 10 and explored the versatility of batik for formal wear for men and women.

Parang Kenchana is a leading brand of hand painted batik from Indonesia, established since 1988. It is widely distributed in leading departmental stores in Jakarta and other major cities of Indonesia. This brand has been in Malaysia since 2004, and was previously tucked away in a cosy corner of Jalan Bukit Bintang. The materials that are usually used for this hand painted and hand stamped batik is hand weaved silk.

emmagem caught up with this vibrant entrepreneur and asked her for some tips on how to best wear batik especially for men. These days a lot of formal invites comes with dress codes that says formal wear or batik for both men and women. Batik usually made into traditional costumes although these days many a designers are using batik for more contemporary silhouettes. Batiks are a real breeze to wear as they are usually designed with a casual flair making them big and roomy and if you should wear a piece made of silk, it is almost like wearing nothing, uh huh! Just imagine the touch of soft silk like baby’s skin but vibrant in colours.

Batik is a traditional craft form both in Malaysia and Indonesia. It is usually hand painted or hand stamped with motifs derived from the natural environment like leaves, flowers and abstract motifs but with Indonesian batik, birds or creatures are often seen as part of the design. However , Indonesian batik is more internationally renown and has a higher perceived value hence the efforts of the late Puan Seri Endon’s attempts to bring Malaysian batik to the international arena was timely and also a much needed push for the art.

We discussed at length the challenges of selling Indonesian batik when there is currently a certain patriotism in collecting Malaysian versus Indonesian batik, which Salina hasten to assure us that Parang Kenchana is working with local designers like Calvin Thoo for instance to bridge the gap. But Salina says growing recognition of Malaysian batik is not a problem because collectors or purveyors of batik buy the designs and for different reasons, so there is a healthy competition.

We also asked Salina, how different is it between the wearers of batik by Indonesian and Malaysian women? According to Salina, Indonesian women tend to be more daring and will wear strapless tank tops with see through silk or silk organza tops to match their batik sarongs or just wear tank tops under their sheer printed sarong robes whereas Malaysian women are apparently more modest and prefer the longer and more covered up versions.

What about the men? I know some friends who will ¡°invest¡± in one piece of cotton batik shirt bought from Karyneka and wear it to death because they need one piece for formal wear and don’t really want to spend too much money. What should they choose? Well, Salina’s advice, go for something that is more muted in color, choose materials with texture and a bit of sheen for a more elegant look like the one shown in the picture. To save cost go for cottons that are of higher quality and splurge on a silk piece if you will, definitely no regrets there. At Parang Kenchana, prices for men’s shirts range from RM289.

Well, I must say for pieces that are drawn with such painstaking details, batiks are a real steal and every man and woman should own at least a piece to ensure that they stand out in amongst the crowd. So, drop on by at Parang Kenchana and check out their range!

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