October 2, 2015

We Can Do It!


Dear readers,

Today should be a day of celebration for me, but with everything going on, it is tough to just eat pie & wear Batik. So my Statement for today is not just to celebrate Batik day, which they nicely celebrate on my birthday, but a little more.
I want to make a superhero tribute with my following Batik Statements, here is the first one: We Can Do It!

We Can Do It! We can welcome people that need our help. We took so much, from so many cultures, we can take them in and add another culture to the mix. We need to welcome this and hope that if we ever need someones help we can count on it.

We Can Do It! We can stop climate change! We just need to work really really hard and really really make sure that everyone pitches in. Stop discussing about it, just do it!

We Can Do It! We can have equal rights! For everybody! We are the same in all our differences, diversity is a blessing, so let's celebrate it!

We Can Do It! We can be one! We only have one planet, so let us enjoy it, celebrate life and protect it!

We Can Do It! Let's start today!


This tribute is based on the American wartime propaganda"We Can Do It!" poster produced by J. Howard Miller in 1943 for Westinghouse Electric as an inspirational image to boost worker morale. 
For this statement I'm wearing my grandfathers Batik blouse, a traditional Dutch headscarf from Staphorst in front of a Banana wax print by African Textiles. Three different cultures, my roots and history, combined into one. 

October 1, 2015

Batik Statements from around the world


Batik Statements by Ine WawoRuntu

The fourth Batik Statement I received was in 2012 from Ine WawoRuntu*. A lovely group-photo of the members of the Stichting Hibiscus in traditional Javanese wear at Imogiri, Yogyakarta in Indonesia.
Ine WawoRuntu is inspirational women. She runs Stichting Hibiscus, a foundation that helps schools in Indonesia by building bathrooms, funding books, other school-materials and much more. She organizes lovely events to promote Indonesian culture in the Netherlands and is a big supporter of Batik. 
She always brightens Social Media up with pictures of her wearing Batik. Her Batik Statements are made globally. So to celebrate Batik Day I got a little selection of Batik Statements made by Ine. She is wearing Batik blouses, shirts, jackets, sarong or bags in places like Jakarta, Lisabon, Best (NL), Copenhagen, London, Las Vegas and with Queensday. enjoy & get inspired!

"I wear Batik because I think it is beautiful. I also wear Batik because I'm proud of it. Batik is from Indonesia and from 2009 is the official Unesco Cultural Heritage from Indonesia. That makes wearing Batik even more fun. And because I want to contribute in promoting Indonesian culture. I love wearing Batik in every country I visit and I wear Batik in Indonesia. That is important, because we should be proud of Batik and shouldn't hesitate to wear it all the time."
- Ine WawoRuntu

Thank you Ine for supporting Batik! I wish you and everyone a happy Batik Day!
And don't forget to put on some Batik!

Batik Statement in Jakarta, boys are wearing Batik Pekalongan, 
Ine is wearing Batik from design house 'Putri Malu' in Yogyakarta

Batik Statement in Lisabon

Batik Statement in Jakarta, Ine is wearing Batik Encim from Pekalongan

Batik Statement in Abu Dhabi

Batik Statement in Vatican City



*  See blogpost Batik Statement IV