Indonesia Have

Talking about Batik the other day is kinda excite me a bit because I love talking about my country's heritage. On October 2nd 2009 UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
According to Wikipedia, Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. The history of Batik in Indonesia was related to Majapahit Kingdom and therefore Batik is well known as a Javanese tradition/heritage. Batik has developed in the empire of Mataram, and the kingdom of Solo and Yogyakarta. Batik from those different areas has different motifs/patterns so they are unique as their own.

"It is said that every time Batik craftsmen perform certain intricate patterns, design not only remain for cloth, but the meaning of the design is engraved ever more deeply in the soul of Artists.
Highly skilled process, involving complicated dyeing and dye-resist process, is considered highly by many people of Indonesia as a form of High Arts." - TopofDesigns.com

Also according to Wikipedia, In Indonesia batik popularity has its ups and downs in the fashion trend. Historically it was essential for ceremonial costumes and it was worn as part of a kebaya dress, which was commonly worn every day in the old times. However, batik clothing has revived somewhat in the 21st century, due to the effort of Indonesian fashion designers to innovate the kebaya by incorporating new colors, fabrics, and patterns. Batik is a fashion item for many young people in Indonesia, such as a shirt, dress, or scarf for casual wear. For a formal occasion, a kebaya is standard for women. It is also acceptable for men to wear batik in the office or as a replacement for jacket-and-tie at certain receptions.

Batik was also found in other countries such as India, China, Malaysia, etc but Indonesia probably has the most numbers of various patterns and motifs. Some of the world designers have been seen using Javanese Batik for their inspiration / collection, such as Dries Van Noten and Adidas.


(http://twothousandthings.blogspot.com/2010/10/fashion-looks-batik.html)