My Batik statement features one of my favourite shirts, a handmade Batik shirt Sabine brought back for me from her journey to Java, Indonesia.
My mother has been a seamstress her whole life and taught me about the quality of fabric and sowing techniques. The quality of the material of my Batik shirt is exquisite, something we don't see very often anymore. Nothing is made to last these days, be it in fashion or many other products. And the general idea seems that everything is replaceable. Not this Batik shirt though. First of all, it's one of a kind. The natural colouring itself could have taken anything up to 9 months to finish. Second, the fabric and sowing are of a unique quality. I dare any fashion label, no matter how exclusive, to match it. Added to that, it's durable, sustainable and original.
Before learning anything about the Art of Batik from Sabine, Batik to me was the little guy sitting next to me in the photo. Batik, the name of our Gelatik Jawa, Padda Oryzivora or Java Rice Finch, has been my trusted friend and inspiration for about 4 years now. His growing creativity (he works on his music which involves percussion and singing every single day) and perseverance has become essential to me. Apart from being an inspiration herself Sabine brought both Batik, the Gelatik and Batik, the fabric into my life. You can imagine how lucky I feel.
- Koen de Wit
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