Silky Feeling : Another batch of Luxury

Well, i'd posted second batch of our silk stock, and here they are.
Btw, some of them were posted in my facebook account ; wahyu subiyantoro; , and perhaps if you have a crush on them, and if they're still available, you could buy them. Just contact me and i'll see if they're still there (well, half of them are in my house, another is in Royal Plaza Outlet).
And oh yeah : these are buckels that also available in our outlets, in case our customer want the total (ethnic) look. 
It's hand-made buckle in burned-finished copper. Pretty arent they....

 

Silky Feeling : those luxurious fabric around your hips

It's kind of funny on how one marketing strategy can helps sales tremendeously. Well, not that dramatic, of course. But you get the idea. 
The batik tulis ( hand-drawn batik) on silk is something deemed not very popular these days since it usually connected to the old-fashion feeling, more mature silk-shirt father (or even grandfather) kind of thing. Not cool. And quite expensive.
That's too bad since silk batik was and still something i find rather alluring, on how come someone rejected the idea of added luxury into your otherwise everyday clothes ensemble. 

Well, in our store, for months we tried to sell those hand-drawn batik on silk with not-so-encouraging result. And then i saw friends use more affordable viscose stamp-batik for hip wrapper, beach-style but this time, topped with embroidered traditional cotton blouse (we called Kebaya) for informal function (and sometimes in more elaborate functions as well). 
And we starts to sell , marketing our hand-drawn silk batik as luxurious alternative of beach hip wrapper. 
And people buy to the idea.
Well, at least we can help our friends specialized in producing silk-based hand-drawn batik in Pamekasan, while aso producing healthy profit (not much, but healthy). 
And i can find a good excuse to buy more of it (cannot help myself, they're gorgeous)

Here are some of our h

and-drawn Pamekasan style silk-based batik of our own.   

Friendship Force Surabaya : on how we Introduce our Beautiful Heritage to our Friends from Abroad (Sacramento, that is)

Last month we (me, mas Firman Guendut and mas Prima Klampis Ireng Batik ) had the opportunity to give small presentation about batik. The highlight for this session wasn't entirely about the batik itself because Friendshipforce Sacramento delegations had already had a batiking session in Surakarta. Rather we introduce the most traditional way of preserving batik fabric using natural ingredients and 'ratus' , old-style preservation incorporating incense 'fragrant' smoke , the practice that even Indonesians hadn't seen in years.
Well, why preservation intrduction, then ? why not batiking itself ? 
It was just because prior to their arrival to Surabaya, they'd visited Surakarta first and they had their batiking session there. And i think to have continuation of the topic, i think i have to find related but not exactly the same topic with our friend's in Surakarta.

 Photo Credit : All of these beautiful illustrations was Rendy Tjitrawardhana 's from his album : FF SBY-Sacramento, Day 2 - Art & Culture Day .
Contributing presentation material : Ibu Noorlailie Soewarno Tjahjadi with late-night discusion and grammar-checking.

 

 

 

 

Creative Setting

Well, it turns out fun.

The Pasongsongan had the opportunity to be part of Dji Sam Soe " Kampoeng Ramadhan" annual bazaar held in Jatim Expo Building in A Yani Surabaya thims month.
Aside from the usual display booth,which i'm quite happy with the dislay arrangement (we incorporated our low traditional-style team cabinet) the Dji Sam Soe Team had this idea to held small gathering of people, batiking togeher as part of its interaction program. And of course i was delightfully agreed . It was one thing to read and hear all things batik but it was compleely different story to have your hand trying those cantings and hot wax, creating images to piece of cotton and trying to avoid spilling disaster (lol).
Groups of young people waiting their turn to try their batik skill and it was really fun to realized that making batik is not that simple. It needs sort of technique. Why ?
Well. first : canting itself a foreign writing device we ough to use it everyday.

 
 

And the hot-wax as its ink , well, it HOT wax , man. It cannot run if it's not liquid enough , or put it this way : it has to stay hot. And Acodents do happened. Frequently (ouch..). 
And strange but true : it need some kind of self-discipline. 
Batking isn't drawing on aper with modern-day pen some sort. The canting as your pen can be as easy drawing device by the one mastering it. But many of this youngsters are first-timer. So here comes slow and repeating learning process.Trying to keep the right angle, both for the sprout of canting and your left hand holding the fabric.
But as we had said above , it turns out fun.
For you wants to participate in the next event : we'll do batik experience, again in July 28th.
See you there.  
   

The Entrepreneur

This month marked the fourth year of our existence in Royal Plaza , still the major place we resided. Although we'd grown to other places such as our 2nd store in Royal Plaza, litle joint-venture projects in Hotel Majapahit & The Grand Palace Dept. Store, Royal Plaza Outlet still the one i consider the most memorable move i had as beginner entrepreneur.

I Remember on how we rent one (nearly) 9 sqm tiny store that i thought would be a cool idea, only to realize that i had choose "the wrong side" of Royal Plaza wing (The Pintu Timur, this section has no major anchor to create substantial traffic). But indeed God had plan for every variety of plans we made.
And we turns out fine. Not (yet) big, but fine. Alhamdulillah.
It also the month we choose to publish our first printed ad in freely-circulated "Hallo-Surabaya" tabloid aimed for middle-class households. It is placed in strategic malls, hotels, and major residentials all over Surabaya. Hope this investment can move us into some (business) recognitions.

For you visiting Surabaya and looking for a quality souvenir of East Java, please check our wide array of Madura Batik selections at "The Pasongsongan Royal Plaza"  G-floor (Ground) no. C2-45 , Jl. A Yani 16-18 Wonokromo Surabaya.   

Smooth As Silk 4

Blue Mystique, itu yang terkesan pada saat lembar Kain Batik Sutera Tulis Madura ini dibentangkan. Desainnya sangat unik karena menampilkan perpaduan dua pengaruh dominan di Batik Madura khususnya batik Tulis Pamekasan , yaitu klasik dan kontemporer, keduanya dalam satu bidang.

Layout desain keseluruhan pastilah kontemporer, dengan kotak-kotak bidang yang diisi dengan pattern modern, bahkan bisa terkesan 'primitive pattern' karena dapat mengingatkan kepada pola berulang dari kalimantan (saat ini banyak batik madura yang menggunakan / incorporated desain dayak di pola isen-isennya).

Warna yang dipilih juga menunjang kesan ini. Berbagai nuansa biru dan sentuhan hijau dan keseluruhan nuansa gelap ditambah dengan penggunaan 'high gloss' silk satin yang amat berkilau.

Nah,pola tradisional diwakili oleh sepasang burung kahyangan (bird of paradise) yang bisa diinterpretasikan sebagai cenderawasih atau phoenix di sisi kanan dan kiri, menjadikan batik sutera tulis madura ini menarik untuk mereka yang masih menyukai sesuatu yang bernuansa tradisional.

Smooth As Silk 3

Batik Tulis Sutera Madura dengan nuansa hijau ini semakin terlihat "mistis" apabila terkembang di pantai selatan (apa hayoo).

Terdiri dari 3 potong dalam satu set-nya, dikenal dengan istilah "sarimbit" yaitu paket batik untuk pasangan. Biasanya terdiri dari bahan atasan/kemeja pria , satu bahan sarung/bawahan wanita dan satu selendang. Ketiganya dibatik dengan motif atau nuansa yang serupa sehingga seperti "kembaran".